The
new top US envoy to the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is calling on Pyongyang to take “concrete steps” in order
to revive stalled multilateral talks over its nuclear program.
US Special Representative for the DPRK Glyn Davies said on December 8 that the DPRK should fulfill promises it made in 2005 to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for diplomatic and economic benefits.
Davies said the United States plans to continue bilateral nuclear talks with the DPRK, but that the US is not interested in having “talks for talks' sake.”
Since July, the US and the DPRK have held two rounds of talks aimed at finding a way to resume six-party negotiations, which Pyongyang abandoned in April 2009.
Davies arrived in the Republic of Korea (RoK) on November 7 as part of his first visit to the region since being appointed in October.
He is meeting with the RoK’s officials to discuss the two countries' joint approach to the DPRK’s nuclear issue.
Last month, the DPRK announced it was making rapid progress in producing enriched uranium for its light water nuclear reactor, raising fresh concerns that the project could be used to develop atomic weapons.
The DPRK unveiled its low-enriched uranium plant a year ago, saying it would be used to generate electricity.
The DPRK has in recent months pressed to resume the talks without preconditions, but Washington and Seoul say Pyongyang must first shut down its uranium enrichment program and take other steps to demonstrate its sincerity.
(VOA/VOV)
