SEOUL, South Korea — A summit between the two Koreas should help resolve the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear programs, a South Korean official said, as an envoy for the North met with a U.S. government negotiator in likely pursuit of bilateral talks with Washington.
North Korea’s No. 2 nuclear negotiator, Ri Gun, has traveled to the U.S. on the invitation of private organizations and met on Saturday in New York with the chief U.S. nuclear negotiator Sung Kim, a State Department spokesman said.
Kim conveyed “our position on denuclearization and the six-party talks,” spokesman Noel Clay said in a statement.
The U.S. says it is willing to have direct talks with the North if it leads to resumption of six-party talks aimed at halting North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs that also include South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. The South also says that progress on efforts to rid the reclusive regime of its nuclear arsenal is key to a summit between the Korean leaders taking place.
The North’s reported push for a summit and talks with Washington is part of a series of conciliatory moves by the regime in recent months after escalating tensions with nuclear and missile tests.
North Korea and the United States do not have diplomatic relations. Ri was given permission to visit the U.S. for unofficial meetings that include the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, a forum sponsored by the University of California-San Diego.
Clay said that Kim and principal deputy assistant secretary of defense, Derek J. Mitchell, would participate in the San Diego forum which begins on Sunday. The sessions will also include government officials and scholars from China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.
As the North’s negotiator prepared for his U.S. trip, South Korean media reported that senior officials of the two Koreas met in Singapore last week to discuss a possible meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
North Korea first asked for the meeting, but the talks ended without agreement as the South demanded that the reclusive Kim visit the South, and the North balked at the demand citing security concerns, South Korea’s largest television network KBS reported Thursday. It cited an unidentified South Korean official.
South Korean officials have declined to confirm the reports, but Lee Dong-kwan, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said Saturday a summit “should be helpful to progress in the resolution of North Korea’s nuclear issue.”
The South’s officials stress that progress in international efforts to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons programs is key to such a summit taking place.
“Our government’s position remains unchanged that we would not hold a meeting for meeting’s sake,” Lee said in comments posted on South Korea’s presidential Web site.
North Korea’s Kim has held summits with the South twice: the first in 2000 with the South’s then-President Kim Dae-jung and the other in 2007 with then-President Roh Moo-hyun.
Relations between the two Koreas frayed badly after the more conservative Lee took office early last year. North Korea pulled out of the six-party disarmament talks in April, but Kim Jong Il said earlier this month that the North could rejoin them depending on progress in its possible one-on-one negotiations with the U.S.
———
Associated Press writer Jae-soon Chang in Seoul contributed to this report.
Headline News
Official: Summit should help resolve nuclear dispute
- Headline News
-
-
Viral video: Grizzly bear cub, wolf cub play together
It’s like something out of a children's book: A bear cub meets a wolf cub and they become the best of friends. Even though they are different species and ferocious predators, the unlikely couple stays pals for life.
-
GOP vows to reverse Obama birth control policy
Republicans vowed Wednesday to reverse President Barack Obama’s new policy on birth control, lambasting the rule that religious schools and hospitals must provide contraceptive coverage for their employees as an “unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country.”
-
Romney’s losses show conservative doubts
Mitt Romney still can’t seem to win over the bulk of the conservatives who make up the bedrock of the Republican Party.
Despite primary victories that have established him as the GOP presidential front-runner, his stunning trio of defeats this week laid bare the difficulties that still could undercut his path to the party’s nomination — and hamper him in the general election to follow. -
10 most romantic hotels in the U.S.
Valentine’s Day will be here soon, and a romantic getaway may be just what the heart needs. TripAdvisor has released its list of the 10 most romantic hotels in the country, based on travelers’ reviews about the beautiful scenery, friendly staffs and romantic amenities like hot tubs and fireplaces.
-
Questions remain about probe into Susan Powell’s disappearance
Utah authorities have for at least six months investigated the disappearance of Susan Powell as a murder case. But without a body, they publicly held out hope that she would be found alive.
So what evidence did they have that the mother of two was dead? And was there anything to identify her killer? -
Abortion, birth control grab political spotlight
Political turmoil over abortion and birth control spread suddenly on Tuesday. A high-ranking official resigned from the Komen breast-cancer charity after its backtracking treaty with Planned Parenthood, and Republican presidential candidates blistered the Obama administration for a recent ruling on Catholic hospitals and contraception.
-
Santorum wins in Minnesota, Missouri
A resurgent Rick Santorum won Minnesota’s Republican caucuses with ease Tuesday night, relegating front-runner Mitt Romney to a distant third-place finish that raised fresh questions about his ability to attract ardent conservatives at the core of the GOP political base.
-
Obama urges donors to embrace super PAC
Reversing an earlier stand, President Barack Obama is now encouraging donors to give generously to the kind of political fundraising groups he once assailed as a “threat to democracy.” He had little choice, his campaign says, if he was to compete with big-money conservative groups that are sure to attack him this fall.
-
Best Super Bowl ad? Vote for your favorite
Naked M&Ms, an out-of-shape dog on a mission and Clint Eastwood delivering a passionate speech about American adversity -- these are among the favorite commercials that aired during Sunday's Super Bowl.
-
Romney wins in Nevada GOP caucuses
Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to victory in the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, notching a second straight triumph over a field of rivals suddenly struggling to keep pace.
“Thank you NV!,” his campaign tweeted as the results were announced. “Our message of restoring America’s greatness continues to resonate through the west & across the country.” - More Headline News Headlines
-
