President Bush hailed North Korea’s decision Tuesday to resume six-party nuclear talks, although a U.S. envoy expressed skepticism just weeks after Pyongyang’s first nuclear test.
“As someone who has been involved in this, I have not broken out the cigars and champagne quite yet, believe me,” U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters in Beijing. “We are a long way from our goal still.”
At the White House, Bush sounded more optimistic.
“I’m pleased, and I want to thank the Chinese for encouraging the meeting that got the agreement to get the six-party talks restarted,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “I’ve always felt like it is important for the United States to be at the table with other partners when it comes time to addressing this important issue.”
That was a veiled swipe at Democrats who have denounced Bush for refusing to hold bilateral talks with North Korea. Former President Clinton held such talks in the 1990s, but North Korea ended up violating the resulting agreement to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
So Bush has insisted on including China, South Korea, Japan and Russia in any negotiations between the U.S. and South Korea. The on-again, off-again six-party talks, which broke down last November, could resume this month or next, Hill said.
One reason for Hill’s skepticism is the fact that North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9 in defiance of the international community. The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution imposing sanctions on Pyongyang, which will remain in force during the new round of talks.
“We’ll be sending teams to the region to work with our partners to make sure that the current United Nations Security Council resolution is enforced,” Bush said. “But also to make sure that the talks are effective, that we achieve the results we want, which is a North Korea that abandons their nuclear weapons programs.”
As for rumblings that Pyongyang might conduct additional nuclear tests, Hill said: “It’s self-evident they should not engage in such provocations.”
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was unimpressed by resumption of six-party talks.
“Given that President Bush’s flawed policies have allowed North Korea’s nuclear weapons capabilities to grow dramatically, it is easy to understand why the administration is trying to trumpet today’s announcement as a big victory,” the Nevada Democrat said.
“It may ultimately be a positive step forward,” he added. “But it is clearly not sufficient to produce the goal we all want to achieve — a halt to North Korea’s nuclear weapons activities.”
