The attitude of the United States will decide whether the new
phase of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue
yield results, top negotiator of North Korea said Thursday.
The North Korea does not expect too much from the third phase of
the fifth round of six-party talks, Kim Kye-Gwan told Xinhua at the
airport as he departed for Beijing. The key lies in whether
Washington would give up its hostile policy and peacefully coexist
with North Korea, he said.
Kim said that North Korea hopes the talks could bring
agreements, however, it depends on the Americans.
The six-party talks, which involve the North Korea, the United
States, China, Russia, South Korean and Japan, will resume Thursday
afternoon in Beijing.
Reports claimed that Kim and his US counterpart Christopher Hill
inked a memorandum during their Berlin talks in mid-January,
agreeing that Pyongyang's first steps toward its denuclearization
and US energy support should begin simultaneously.
But Hill on Thursday denied the alleged agreement.
After the Berlin talks, Kim respectively met with Russian,
Chinese and South Korean negotiators in Moscow and Beijing.
(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2007)
