Clinton encouraged by signs for six-party talks resumption

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday she was encouraged by signs of progress toward resumption of the six-party talks on the Korean peninsula denuclearization.


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (R) and visiting South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan attend a press briefing before their meeting at the Department of State in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Feb. 26, 2010. Hillary said Friday she was encouraged by signs of progress toward resumption of six-party talks on the Korean peninsula denuclearization. (Xinhua Photo)
Clinton said ultimately, whether the talks will resume is up to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but the United States is "encouraged by signs of progress to return to the talks. " She made the remarks after meeting South Korean counterpart Yu Myung Hwan in the State Department.

Clinton has just sent special representative Stephen Bosworth and senior negotiator Sung Kim to China, South Korea and Japan on the nuclear stalemate in the Korean Peninsula. The duo had discussions with various officials in the three countries, all are parties to the six-party talks.

She said Bosworth and Kim are "heartened" by the parties' efforts to restart the talks, and Washington is working with Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing to Bring Pyongyang back to the table. The other party in the talks is Russia.

A diplomatic push is now underway to relaunch the six-party talks. Bosworth said in Seoul that the United States considers the DPRK's return to the stalled talks as priority before initiating discussions on other issues, such as bettering ties with Pyongyang and replacing a truce with a peace treaty, which would officially end the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Source: Xinhua