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Disarmament Documentation

US-DPRK-China Talks, Beijing, April 23/25

Note: the delegations to the talks, hosted by China, were headed by James Kelly, US Assistant Secretary of State, Ri Gun, Deputy Director of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Department of American Affairs, and Fu Ying, Director General of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs.

I. United States

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer

Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer, White House Press Secretary, April 25.

[The talks] were useful. We were able to express our position directly to the North Koreans in a multilateral forum, and our position is unequivocal, that it's important for North Korea to proceed with the irrevocable dismantling of its nuclear weapons program... [D]uring these talks, we made clear to the North Koreans our policy, which is the policy of our allies in the region, that North Korea must verifiably and irreversibly dismantle their nuclear weapons program. This is the goal of our allies. This is the stated policy of China, which played a very productive role in these talks and a very helpful role through the act of participation of the Chinese government... [The President] has said, and he continues to believe, even having watched what took place this week, that the solution to this will be achieved through diplomacy. And diplomacy is a process. It takes time. Even an issue that is as serious as North Korea having nuclear weapons, it is an issue that takes time to deal with... The North Korean way of dialogue is often to engage in as bad a behavior as they could possibly engage in, with the expectation that the world will reward them for ceasing their bad behavior. That has been their previous actions. And the President has made clear that the United States will not reward bad behavior. ... So we'll analyze what North Korea is doing, what North Korea is saying. And the President continues to believe that this can be a matter that will be solved through diplomacy...

Source: Talks in Beijing on North Korea Useful, White House Says, US Department of State (Washington File), April 25.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, April 24

Remarks by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, speech to the United States-Asia Pacific Council, Washington, April 24.

Opening Remarks

As President Bush has made clear repeatedly with respect to the Korean Peninsula, we do not want to see nuclear weapons on the peninsula. We seek a peaceful solution to the international community's serious concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. As the President has said repeatedly since the beginning of this situation...we will pursue every diplomatic channel. And that's why, for the past two days, we have been participating in meetings in Beijing with the Chinese and with the North Koreans. This is an early meeting, no intention of resolving any issues at this meeting. It was a way of bringing three countries in a multilateral setting who had a great interest in this problem together to exchange views to hear one another. Strong views were presented. The North Koreans presented their point of view strongly; the Chinese did, as well, as did the United States.

The meetings are coming to a close now. The sides will return to their capitals and assess what they heard, analyze proposals that were put down by the parties, and determine where we will go next. The one thing that is absolutely clear as a result of this meeting, once again, is that there is unity within the community that we must not allow the peninsula to become nuclear.

It's the strong views of the Chinese Government, of course, of the United States, of Japan, of South Korea, and of Russia, Australia, and other neighbors in the region. North Korea must come to understand this. North Korea must also come to understand that we will not be threatened. We will not respond to threats. We look for a way forward that will eliminate this threat and put North Korea on a path to a better future, a better future that will provide a better life for its people.

So we will analyze the results of this first set of discussions and see where we are going to go. The one thing we are also absolutely committed to is that there must be a multilateral approach and a multilateral solution to this problem. Nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula are a threat to every neighbor in the region, and a threat to the region, and we believe a threat to us as well. And it is for that reason we have insisted that all of the nations in the region play a role.

China has stepped up; South Korea and Japan are ready to participate in future conversations, when and if those conversations are held. And I hope the North Korean delegation will return to Pyongyang with a clear understanding of our point of view, as we have listened carefully to their point of view. I am particularly impressed at China's willingness to play an active role in these discussions, and I congratulate China for playing such an active role. ...

Questions and Answers

... [With regard to North] Korea, as we face the nuclear issue, too many people have been emphasizing peaceful solutions. Now, obviously, there is no question that everybody prefers peaceful solution. But I think it's most important that we have a solution. Are we making it absolutely clear to North Korea that the solution has to be found, peaceful or otherwise? Because, otherwise, it tantamounts to license for him to operate any way he wants. ...So that's the first question.

Secretary Powell: ... [W]e have made it absolutely clear to the North Koreans, and, working with North Korea's neighbors, I think all of them with us have made it absolutely clear to North Korea that a nuclearized peninsula is unacceptable. The Chinese have said it rather clearly. They said it most clearly and most powerfully last fall when President Jiang Zemin was at Crawford visiting President Bush at his ranch, and the Chinese have been acting on that policy of theirs. And that's why they were one of the participants in the discussions of this week. So we have made it absolutely clear. As you know, we have not taken any options off the table, but the President remains convinced that a peaceful solution can be found through diplomacy and through political action. But it's going to take efforts on the part of all of North Korea's neighbors. North Korea would like to make it a US-North Korean problem; it is not a US-North Korean problem. That's how they tried to solve it last time and it didn't work. The Agreed Framework kept some weapons from being built for some period of time. But, at the same time, we thought we had the genie captured in one bottle, the North Koreans were building another bottle and had a genie in it dealing with enriched uranium. The solution has to be denuclearization of the peninsula.

We have also made it clear to North Korea that they have nothing to fear from denuclearization. The nations in the region stand willing to help. The South Koreans have made it clear that they want to have a better relationship with North Korea, that they want people to go back and forth, they want families to be unified; they are one people. The Japanese Government, in the presence of...Prime Minister Koizumi, when he visited last year, made it clear that Japan would like to move forward and help North Korea with development. And so there are nations in the region that want to help North Korea out of its isolation and out of the destitute circumstances in which its people live. And North Korea has to come to the understanding that all of that is there available if they behave in a more responsible way, with respect to nuclear weapons programs and with respect to other actions that they take, whether it be developing and selling missiles, or testing long-range missiles that threaten the region.

We will be firm. We will continue to press for a diplomatic solution. We will remove no options from the table. And the North Koreans should not leave the meetings in Beijing, now that they have come to a conclusion, there may be some more bilateral meetings between the United States and China, and between China and North Korea. But our meetings with North Korea are in the trilateral or multilateral setting. But they should not leave this series of discussions that have been held in Beijing with the slightest impression that the United States and its partners, and the nations in the region will be intimidated by bellicose statements, or by threats or actions they think might get them more attention, or might force us to make a concession that we would not otherwise make. They would be very ill-advised to move in that direction.

Source: Excerpt - Powell Says Beijing Talks Show United Opposition to Nuclear Korea, US Department of State (Washington File), April 25.

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II. North Korea

'DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman on US attitude toward DPRK-US talks', Korean Central news Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang, April 15; http://www.kcna.co.jp.

The DPRK-US talks on the nuclear issue was held in Beijing from April 23 to 25, presided over by China, the host country. The DPRK has already clarified that if the US has a sincere will to make a bold switchover in its policy toward the DPRK, it will not stick to any particular dialogue format. At the talks the DPRK set forth a new bold proposal to clear up bilateral concerns of the DPRK and the US, the parties concerned with the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, at the same time. The US, however, repeated its old assertion that the DPRK should "scrap its nuclear program before dialogue" without advancing any new proposal at the talks. And it persistently avoided the discussion on the essential issues to be discussed between both sides. As the DPRK set out a new proposal for the settlement of the nuclear issue, proceeding from its stand to avert a war on the Korean Peninsula and achieve lasting peace and stability, it will follow the US future attitude toward it.

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III. China

'Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao on the Beijing Talks Between China, DPRK and the United States, April 25, 2003', Statement issued by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, http://www.fmprc.gov.cn.

Today, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao briefed the press on the Beijing talks between China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States on the DPRK's nuclear issue. He said that the talks began on 23rd. China, the DPRK and the United States held two rounds of talks, during which all sides fully expounded on their stances and views on the DPRK's nuclear issue, and expressed their aspirations and ideas for a peaceful settlement of the issue. A small group session was held on 24th, during which in-depth discussions were held on issues each side was concerned about. On the morning of 25th, Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing met with the DPRK and US delegations respectively. During the talks, China had all along stressed that the Korean Peninsula should be nuclear-free and that the nuclear issue should be resolved peacefully. China's goal is very clear, which is to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. China will continue to work to this end.

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