Envoys say N. Korea not serious about nuclear talks

BEIJING – The U.S. envoy to six-party talks on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program said today that there were no signs of a breakthrough and accused the communist state of not being serious about the negotiations.

Asked if there were any indications of a breakthrough ahead of the last day of talks today, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said, “No, I am not aware of any.”

After four days of negotiations in the wake of North Korea’s Oct. 9 nuclear test, the North has refused to get into substantive discussions on its atomic weapons, envoys said. Instead, the North has complained about the U.S. blacklisting a Macau bank, where the regime allegedly laundered money to help fund its weapons programs.

“When the DPRK raises problems, one day it’s financial issues, another day it’s something they want but they know they can’t have, another day it’s something we said about them that hurt their feelings,” Hill said. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North’s official name.

“What they need to do is to get serious about the issue that made them such a problem … their nuclear activities,” he said.

Japanese envoy Kenichiro Sasae delivered a similar assessment late Thursday, saying that the talks were deadlocked.

“The situation remains severe and there is no prospect for a breakthrough,” Sasae said. “North Korea’s claims and its position on financial issues are very firm and inflexible and that is the biggest cause of the difficulty.”

In comments Thursday, Hill said the financial restrictions were a defense against weapons proliferation, warning Pyongyang would find itself further economically isolated if it doesn’t disarm.

He said that the North Korean delegation had apparently been instructed to resolve the financial issue before talking about nuclear weapons.

In Washington, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said North Korea had given the United States no reason to believe it is serious about dismantling its nuclear weapons. “That’s what we’re testing” in the disarmament talks, she said Thursday.

The North has maintained it needs nuclear weapons because of the “hostile” policy of the United States, citing issues including the financial campaign, criticism of North Korea’s human rights record and U.S.-South Korean joint military exercises.