World Watch: Rice wants "firm" North Korean commitment
TOKYO–The next round of talks on North Korea's nuclear program–now set to begin in Beijing in two weeks–need to show "concrete progress," Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said Tuesday as he met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice here. "North Korea must make a strategic choice and negotiate seriously," Rice said at a joint appearance, and the Bush administration expects "a firm demonstration of their commitment." She added that the United States is "willing to roll up our sleeves" to make the negotiations a success.
Rice discussed North Korea, Iraq, the United Nations, and other issues with Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi and other officials in Tokyo before flying to Seoul later Tuesday for conversations with South Korean leaders. Diplomatic activity is heating up between North Korea and South Korea as well, as the latter in recent days revealed plans for sending the North 500,000 tons of food aid, for energy assistance, and for deepening economic cooperation. Almost certainly, North Korea sees the prospect of more help as one of the inducements for returning to the nuclear talks.
But the Japanese are pressing to include the issues of North Korea's missile programs and human rights–particularly the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents in the past–in the six-party nuclear talks. That is not likely to fly, at least for now. North Korea has rejected the Japanese demands, and China, South Korea, and Russia–other participants in the talks–have declined to back Japan on broadening the negotiations in that way.
Washington is also in a sensitive position. The Japanese public is fuming about the abductions–Pyongyang has acknowledged 15 such cases–and Japanese officials want Washington to back its position on using the nuclear talks to pressure North Korea on the topic.
U.S. officials have suggested that they intend to keep the focus on the North's nuclear weapons programs but also want to help a stalwart ally, Japan. When Rice was asked about using the six-party talks to discuss abductions, she did not answer the question directly.
Rice and Machimura said that officials specializing in North Korea from Japan, South Korea, and the United States will meet later this week to coordinate positions. The Bush administration has been under pressure from China and South Korea to mute its rhetoric about North Korea and its all-powerful leader, Kim Jong Il, whom President Bush has called a "tyrant" who runs "concentration camps." Rice has also been cautious in her language on North Korea recently, though on Tuesday she did speak of the "really miserable humanitarian situation" of North Koreans.
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