Related report:
DPRK conducts nuclear
test
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United States said
on Wednesday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will have a
chance to seek access to its frozen overseas bank accounts when six-party talks
are resumed.
"We will seek to address the issue in the context of
the six-party talks," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a news
briefing.
However, the spokesman noted that the best way to
deal with the issue is to get at the root causes, which he said were Pyongyang's
"illicit behavior."
The United States has imposed financial sanctions on
the DPRK in retaliation for alleged U.S. dollar counterfeiting and money
laundering by Pyongyang.
The DPRK said on Wednesday that it had decided to
return to the six-party talks on the premise that the issue of lifting financial
sanctions will be discussed and settled between the DPRK and the U.S. within the
framework of the six-party talks.
Prior to the statement, Pyongyang vowed that so long
as it is under U.S. sanctions, it will not return to the six-party talks which
are aimed at ending its nuclear weapons drive.
The U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State
Christopher Hill, said the six-party talks could resume as early as November or
December.
In addition to the U.S. and the DPRK, the six-party
talks also involve South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
The six-party talks on Korean nuclear issue have
remained stalled since the last round meeting in Beijing in November 2005.
Related stories:
DPRK says to return to
six-party talks
PYONGYANG, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Wednesday that it has decided to return to the
six-party talks, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"The DPRK decided to return to the six-party talks on
the premise that the issue of lifting financial sanctions will be discussed and
settled between the DPRK and the U.S. within the framework of the six-party
talks," said a spokesman of the DPRK Foreign Ministry. Full story
Japan to continue sanctions
after DPRK returns to six-party talks
TOKYO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that his country would continue its own sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) even after the six-party talks resume, Kyodo news agency reported.
Abe appreciated the DPRK for its decision to return
to the negotiation table, but insisted that Japan would not stop its unilateral
sanctions until the issues such as missile launches, nuclear tests and
abductions of Japanese nationals were resolved. Full story
U.S. welcomes DPRK's planned
return to six-party talks
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- The United States on
Tuesday welcomed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) pledge to
return to the six-party talks, National Security Council spokesman Gordon
Johndroe said.
"We welcome the announcement and look forward to
resuming the talks soon," Johndroe said. Full story
UN chief hails resumption of
six-party talks
UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan hailed on Tuesday the announcement of the resumption of six-party
talks on the nuclear program on the Korean Peninsula.
In a statement released by his spokesman, Annan
welcomed the announcement that China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
and the United States have agreed to a resumption of the talks. Full story
