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South Korean Foreign Minister Predicts North Nuclear Talks Mid- September

Posted on: Monday, 29 August 2005, 06:00 CDT

Excerpt from report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap

Seoul, 29 August: Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon predicted Monday [29 August] that the recessed six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions will resume in mid-September.

"I expect the talks will be resumed around that time," Ban told reporters when asked if he expects the talks to restart at that time.

The multinational nuclear talks that reopened in late July after a 13-month hiatus remained deadlocked in early August after the United States continued to call for North Korea to give up all of its nuclear activities, including the use of nuclear technology for electricity production and other civilian needs. [passage omitted]

Ban noted that US deputy assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill will stay in Washington in early September when Chinese President Hu Jintao visits the US capital. Hill is Washington's chief envoy to the six-party talks.

"It is difficult for us to resume the talks in early September because most Chinese Foreign Ministry officials will also visit Washington at that time," he said before attending a meeting on science and technology development promotion chaired by President Roh Moo-hyun at Cheongwadae, the presidential office.

Ban did not rule out the possibility of the talks reopening in the week of 18 September, when South Korea's traditional harvest moon holiday Chuseok occurs. "Chuseok should not be a variation, as I myself will also have to stay at the United Nations," he said.

Another Seoul official said, "The talks are likely to be postponed for a short time due to internal and external reasons," adding that a consensus has been reached among parties about postponing them. [passage omitted]

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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