Six-party talks

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Recent History

The Six-party talks are a series of meetings with six participating states - the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), the United States of America, the Russian Federation and Japan. These talks were a result of North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003. The aim of these talks is to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns raised by the North Korean nuclear weapons program. After five rounds of talks, little progress has been made.

Content of the six-party talks

The main points of contention are:

• Security guarantee - this issue has been raised by North Korea since the Bush administration (2001 - Present) took office. North Korea perceives the Bush Administration as being hostile and planning to overthrow the North Korean government by force. This concern was elevated following the 2002 overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan.
• The construction of light water reactors - the 1994 Agreed Framework (including KEDO) stated that the members of KEDO would agree to build several light-water reactors in return for North Korea's cessation of its nuclear program. This agreement broke down after both sides defaulted, especially since 2000.
• 'Peaceful' use of nuclear energy - whilst the NPT allows states the right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, this is thought to have been used by North Korea as a cover for their nuclear weapons program.
• Diplomatic relations - North Korea wants normalization of diplomatic relations as part of the bargain for giving up its nuclear weapons program. The US has at times disagreed and at times agreed to this condition, providing North Korea irreversibly and verifiably disarms its nuclear weapons program.
• Financial restrictions / Trade normalization - The US has placed heavy financial sanctions on North Korea for what they see as an uncooperative attitude and unwillingness to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
• 'Verifiable' and 'Irreversible' disarmament - Members of the six-party talks have disagreed on this. Japan and the US have demanded that North Korea completely dismantle its nuclear program so that it may never be restarted, and that it can be verified by the six members of the talks before aid is given. South Korea, China and Russia have agreed on a milder, step-by-step solution which involves the members of the six-party talks giving a certain reward (e.g. aid) in return for each step of nuclear disarmament. North Korea has wanted the US to concede some of the conditions first before it will take any action in disarming their weapons program, which they see as the only guarantee to prevent a US attack on their soil.

Timeline

1st round ( 27 Aug— 29 Aug 2003)

Representatives:
 South Korea: Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Kim Young-il, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
 United States: James Kelly, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 People's Republic of China: Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Japan: Yabunaka Mitoji, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
 Russia: Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• A Chairman's Summary agreed upon for a further round of talks.
• No agreement between parties made.

2nd round ( 25 Feb— 28 Feb 2004)

Representatives:
 South Korea: Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 United States: James Kelly, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 People's Republic of China: Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Japan: Yabunaka Mitoji, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
 Russia: Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• A Chairman's Statement announced with seven articles, including:
  • Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
  • Peaceful Coexistence of Participating States, stressing the use of mutually coordinated measures to resolve crises.
• Agreement to hold the third round of talks with full participation during the second quarter of 2004.

3rd round ( 23 Jun— 25 Jun 2004)

Representatives
 South Korea: Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 United States: James Kelly, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 People's Republic of China: Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Japan: Yabunaka Mitoji, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
 Russia: Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• A Chairman's Statement announced with eight articles, including:
  • Reconfirming the commitment to denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, stressing specification of the scope and time, interval (between steps of) and method of verification
• Agreement to hold fourth round of talks in Beijing before September 2005

4th round, 1st phase ( 26 Jul— 7 Aug 2005)

Representatives
 South Korea: Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 United States: Christopher Hill, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 People's Republic of China: Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Japan: Sasae Genichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
 Russia: Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• US and North Korea cannot agree on 'peaceful' use of nuclear energy
• Three-week recess of talks due to ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting

4th round, 2nd phase ( 13 Sep— 19 Sep 2005)

Representatives
 South Korea: Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 United States: Christopher Hill, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 People's Republic of China: Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Japan: Sasae Genichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
 Russia: Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• Agreement on a Joint Declaration of six articles, including:
  • Verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
  • Observe and realize the 1992 Korean Peninsula Denuclearization Declaration
  • North Korea to agree to abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programs and return to the NPT as soon as possible
  • However, the states still respect North Korea's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy as stated under the NPT
  • The issue of the light-water reactors will be discussed at a suitable time later
  • US and the South Korea to formally declare that they have no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula
  • US will practice non-aggression towards North Korea
  • US will work to normalize ties with North Korea and by respecting each other's sovereignty, right to co-exist peacefully.
  • Japan will normalize relations with North Korea through the Pyongyang Statement by settling historical disputes.
  • Promising North Korea it will receive economic cooperation and aid with energy through strengthening bilateral/multilateral economic cooperation in energy, trade and investment. The five other members will serve as guarantors to this condition
  • South Korea will channel two million kiloWatts of power to North Korea.
  • The Korean Peninsula peace treaty to be negotiated separately.
  • 'Words for words'; 'actions for actions' principle to be observed, stressing 'mutually coordinated measures'.
• Agreement to hold fifth round of talks in early November, 2005.

5th round, 1st phase ( 9 Nov— 11 Nov 2005)

Representatives
 South Korea: Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 United States: Christopher Hill, Assistant State Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
 People's Republic of China: Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Japan: Sasae Genichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau
 Russia: Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

• Joint Statement issued with six points. This is essentially the same as the previous round's statements, except for:
  • Modifying the 'words for words' and 'actions for actions' principle to 'commitment for commitment, action for action' principle.
• No agreement on when the next talks will be held, though March 2006 looked likely at the time.

5th round, 2nd phase (postponed; possibly in 2007)

Representatives
 South Korea:
 Democratic People's Republic of Korea:
 United States:
 People's Republic of China:
 Japan:
 Russia:

Objectives achieved

• In April 2006, North Korea offered to resume talks if the US releases recently frozen North Korean financial assets held in a bank in Macau.
  • The US treats the nuclear and financial issues as separate; North Korea does not.
• North Korea then announced on October 3, 2006, that it was going to test its first nuclear weapon regardless of the world situation, blaming 'hostile US policy' as the reason for the need for such a deterrent. However, it pledged a no-first-strike policy and to nuclear disarmament only when there is worldwide elimination of such nuclear weapons . For North Korea's full text, read this.
• On October 9, 2006, North Korea announced a successful nuclear test, verified by the US on October 11.
• In response, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1718 unanimously condemning North Korea, as well as passing Chapter VII, Article 41. Sanctions ranged from the economic to the trade of military units, WMD-related parts and technology transfer, and a ban on certain luxury goods. Both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation were quick to stress that these were not military-enforceable sanctions. The Resolution also gave the right to other nations to inspect any North Korean vessel's cargo, although the People's Republic of China has held reservations about this move, saying it wanted to avoid any military confrontation with North Korea's navy.
• On 31 October 2006, the Chinese government announced that six-party talks would resume. U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill later stated that the resumption could happen in the next month and that North Korea had not set preconditions for the talks. The deadlock was broken by what BBC News called "frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations" by Beijing. However, Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso stated that his country was not willing to return to the six-party talks until North Korea had renounced nuclear weapons.
• On 5 December 2006, the Russian envoy Alexander Alexeyev said that the talks were unlikely to resume before 2007 owing to the slow progress towards the talks and the fact that Christmas was coming up soon.