No Progress in Japan-North Korea Talks
Japanese-North Korean talks on diplomatic normalization broke down in Hanoi on Thursday. The parties have exchanged accusations of insincerity and steep demands, putting a obstacle to the nuclear disarmament of North Korea.
The Japanese and North Korean delegations ended their talks early on Thursday just as they did Wednesday, setting no date for the next round.
The talks had been scheduled as part of six-party negotiations on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program.
Japan insists that before address any other issues, North Korea must provide a full accounting of the Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970’s and 80’s.
North Korea has admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese. Five of those were allowed to return home in 2002, and Pyongyang says that the other eight died. Tokyo, however, believes that there are still survivors kept in the country.
Meanwhile, North Korea wants Japan to pay reparations for its occupation of the country from 1910 to 1945.
The chief Japanese delegate to the talks, Koichi Haraguchi said he saw no sincere response on the abduction issue. Song Il Ho, North Korea’s chief delegate, in his turn, called Japan’s position unreasonable. A member of the North Korean delegation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the Japanese apparently want Pyongyang to “bring back the dead to life”.
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All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 09, 2007
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