Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 09, 2003
US Says Talks with DPRK Not Mean Negotiations
The Bush administration Wednesday said the fact it is willing to talk with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over nuclear issue does not mean any negotiation or additional inducements.
The Bush administration Wednesday said the fact it is willing to talk with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over nuclear issue does not mean any negotiation or additional inducements.
"We'd like to hear from North Korea about the steps they are taking to come back into compliance with international obligationsto they will dismantle their nuclear weapons program," White Housespokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.
"Certainly it's not a negotiation. They dropped their end of the agreement and they should certainly not expect the United States to give them any additional inducements in return for (living up to) our old agreements," Fleischer said.
In a joint statement released Tuesday after talks here between senior US, South Korean and Japanese diplomats, the United States said it is willing to talk to the DPRK but will not make concessions to Pyongyang in order to persuade it to drop its nuclear programs.
"The United States is willing to talk to North Korea about how it will meet its obligations to the international community. However, the US delegation stressed that the United States will not provide quid pro quos to North Korea to live up to its existing obligations," the statement said.