North Korea's position, if it remains the same, appears to confirm
China's earlier statement that all parties that took part in the last
round -- the United States, North Korea, Japan, South Korea and
Russia, as well as China -- were ready to continue negotiations within
two months.
The switch comes as China's top diplomats have grown increasingly
concerned that the United States does not have a negotiating strategy
beyond using multilateral talks to put pressure on North Korea,
analysts who have spoken to Chinese officials about the issue said
today.
In contrast, these analysts said, China is persuaded that North Korea
is prepared to trade away its nuclear program for the right mix of
security and economic incentives.
"There is a widespread sense that the U.S. is the problem," said Chu
Shulong, a foreign affairs expert at Qinghua University.
"China wants everyone to be prepared to take steps at the same time,
and doesn't understand why this is not reasonable."
At last week's negotiations, North Korea proposed a program in which
it offered to dismantle its nuclear facilities and submit to
inspections, but only after the United States signed a nonaggression
treaty.
The United States rejected that proposal, but offered little in
return, maintaining that North Korea must completely and verifiably
stop producing atomic weapons before discussions begin on any benefits
it might receive for doing so.
American officials have said that they would not offer up-front
benefits to North Korea because that would amount to succumbing to
blackmail.
North Korea acknowledged abrogating a 1994 pact with the United States
and resumed nuclear weapons development last year, prompting the
latest crisis.
Still, some outside experts argue that the Bush administration cannot
maintain a no-bargaining position indefinitely if the negotiations are
to progress beyond recitations of official positions.
"The first round just brought out the positions of both sides," said
Susan Shirk, a former State Department official in the Clinton
administration.
"But if you want to solve the problem, there has to be a spirit of
compromise on all sides."
From The New York Times, 9/3/03:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/03/international/asia/03KORE.html
U.S. Stand Could Stall Korea Talks, Chinese Say
By JOSEPH KAHN
BEIJING --
As North Korea reversed itself and pledged to continue negotiating
about its nuclear program, Chinese officials argued today that the
bigger obstacle to a diplomatic solution is what it called the
reluctance of the United States to bargain in earnest.
______________________________________________
The name of the Bush game ain't negotiations,
it's macho "Shock and Awe"
Harry
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