Special Report 05-37A: May 14th, 2005
I. Introduction
The following statement was broadcast over radio and television in the DPRK on May 10, 2005. This statement represents the DPRK governments “carrot” in the carrot and stick negotiations over the DPRK nuclear issue. This statement can be seen as a response to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Statement on May 9th that the US views the DPRK as a sovereign nation.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Nautilus Institute. Readers should note that Nautilus seeks a diversity of views and opinions on contentious topics in order to identify common ground.
II. DPRK Foreign Ministry Statement
-“We Have Never Asked’ for DPRK-US Talks Separate From 6-Way Talks”
DPRK Foreign Ministry Statement
Korean Central Broadcasting Station Statement
[KCBS]: On 8 May, a spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a Korean Central News Agency [KCNA] reporter’s question regarding the fact that the United States has recently been spreading information that distorts the truth, making it seem as though we are insisting on only DPRK-US bilateral talks without coming out to the six-party talks.
Upon being stigmatized as an outpost of tyranny, we already clearly expressed the position that we cannot engage in any type of talks or associate with the United States in any way.
Therefore, we have never asked for DPRK-US talks separate from the six-party talks. There were reports saying the United States recognized us as a sovereign state and that it was ready to hold bilateral talks within the [framework of the] six-party talks. Thus, if we have asked for anything, it was only that we said we will make our final decision after personally meeting with the US side to confirm whether they [reports] are true.
This does not at all mean that we wish for talks to discuss DPRK-US issues. It means exactly what it means: it is but a simple working-level procedure to confirm the US position.
If the United States truly wishes to resolve the nuclear issue via the six-party talks, it must stop its foolish talk and behavior of slighting and insulting its talks partner. It should know that doing so would indeed help create an atmosphere for the resumption of the six-party talks.
Our will to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and achieve it through negotiations still remain unchanged.
Source: Pyongyang Korean Central Broadcasting Station in Korean — DPRK-owned central radio network