Hours before he was scheduled to fly back to Washington, Christopher R. Hill, the top American envoy, said North Korea had derailed the process by unexpectedly making a late demand for the right to operate light-water nuclear reactors. American officials believe the North Koreans could use such reactors to secretly make material for nuclear weapons. Christopher R. Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon.
U.S. and North Korea Blame Each Other for Stalemate in Talks
U.S. and North Korea Blame Each Other for Stalemate in Talks
By JIM YARDLEY
Published: August 8, 2005
BEIJING, Aug. 7 - North Korea and the United States on Sunday each blamed the other after nearly two weeks of six-nation negotiations deadlocked over the issue of "peaceful use" nuclear programs.
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Pool photo by Elizabeth Dalziel
Christopher Hill, the U.S. envoy.
But both sides also said an agreement remained possible and confirmed that they would have "contacts" during the three-week break in the talks that was announced Sunday. Negotiators from the six countries taking part are scheduled to reconvene in Beijing during the week of Aug. 29.
Hours before he was scheduled to fly back to Washington, Christopher R. Hill, the top American envoy, said North Korea had derailed the process by unexpectedly making a late demand for the right to operate light-water nuclear reactors. American officials believe the North Koreans could use such reactors to secretly make material for nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, the chief North Korean negotiator, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, said the United States had been unwilling to compromise on North Korea's desire for a peaceful nuclear program and needed to acknowledge its right as a sovereign nation for such a program.
"We couldn't meet in the middle because we were too far apart," Mr. Kim said. "What we are making is a just demand."
This fourth round of nuclear talks extended a record 13 days as negotiators tried to agree on a joint statement of principles that would serve as broad but essential framework for future negotiations. The first three rounds of talks - which include China, North Korea, Japan, South Korea, the United States and Russia - ended without progress, and expectations were high for a joint statement in this latest round.
But on Sunday, Wu Dawei, the chief delegate from China, sought to shift expectations, saying that the delegations had made progress and that the 13 days of negotiations were "in depth and useful discussions." Still, Mr. Wu would not predict whether a joint statement would be reached when the parties reconvene in three weeks.
"I cannot say for sure if we will reach agreement on a common paper after the recess, and I also want to stress the ability to issue a joint paper is not the barometer of success of these talks," Mr. Wu said.
Mr. Hill emphasized that agreement on a joint statement of principles is essential to crafting a final disarmament deal. He said that if delegates could agree on such a statement upon their return, he expected that a fifth round of talks could begin as soon as September to address the specifics of a final deal.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but I think there is progress," said Mr. Hill, upon returning to his hotel midday Sunday after a final meeting of the six delegations.
His appearance was the last of what had become regular nightly "doorstop" news conferences inside his hotel lobby at the end of each day. He used these appearances to shape international news coverage of the talks and to present a more flexible public image for American foreign policy.
In the past, China had criticized the United States for being too inflexible in its approach to North Korea, particularly its prior unwillingness for bilateral meetings. But in this round the two sides held almost daily private meetings and even shared a dinner at a local North Korean restaurant. Mr. Hill repeatedly portrayed the United States as a reasonable player willing to work with others. He regularly complimented his "Chinese hosts" and spoke of the draft joint statement as "the Chinese draft text."
Not only did this play to China's desire to be seen as an international diplomatic player, but it also placed implicit pressure on North Korea, since the draft under consideration was a "Chinese text," not an American one.
Kenneth Lieberthal, a former Clinton administration official involved in past negotiations with North Korea, said a recess should not be interpreted as a collapse in the process. Mr. Lieberthal, who has been critical of the Bush administration's handling of the North Korean nuclear issue, said in this latest round "you had the sense that they were there to tee up a real negotiation."
