US governor Richardson meets DPRK's diplomats

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(Xinhua/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-20 03:22

WASHINGTON: In another potential sign of improving relations between Washington and Pyongyang, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on Wednesday hosted two diplomats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Richardson said Wednesday's meeting was a "hopeful sign" in improving relations with the reclusive nation.

He declined to comment on what was discussed.

Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs says that, even without knowing the agenda or reason for the meeting, it is the administration's "strong hope" that the North Koreans resume the process eliminating nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula.

The governor, who visited Pyongyang for several times in the past years, reportedly met Kim Myong-Gil and Paek Jong-Jo, both from the DPRK's mission to the United Nations at his mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The meeting, reportedly requested by the DPRK, came after former US President Bill Clinton paid a successful visit to Pyongyang, where he met with the top leader Kim Jong-Il and secured the release of two American journalists.

Clinton has briefed President Barack Obama on his Pyongyang tour.

The DPRK's official news agency KCNA said Kim and Clinton held talks on improving bilateral relations, while the Obama administration insisted that Clinton did not discuss any issues beyond the journalists' release.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who worked for the Current TV co- founded by former Vice President Al Gore, were captured in March for illegally crossing the DPRK border from China and were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in June.

Following Clinton's visit, Pyongyang announced the release. Analysts here said Pyongyang wants to use the chance to explore a direct dialogue mechanism with the United States on improving the bilateral relations.

The Obama administration, however, claims that the dialogue should be in the Pyongyang's denuclearization process guided by the six-party talks mechanism, which participated by the DPRK, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

"The six-party process is the most effective way to deal with the issues that we have with North Korea," said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley, adding that within the six-party process "there can be bilateral discussions, not just with the United States, but other countries, as well."

According to an agreement signed at the six-party talks in February 2007, the Bush administration agreed to begin discussion on normalization of relations with the DPRK, in exchange for Pyongyang's shutdown of its nuclear facilities.

The talks on normalizing the US-DPRK relations were kicked off in March 2007, but few developments have been made because the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula was often drawn in the stalemate.

Dismissing the international opposition, the DPRK conducted an underground nuclear test on May 25 and since then has fired at least seven ballistic missiles. It also boycotted the six-party talks on its nuclear program.

Responding to Pyongyang's behavior, the Obama administration has decided to extend economic sanctions by prolonging the national emergency on the DPRK and has vowed to enforce sanctions against Pyongyang set in the UN Security Council Resolution 1874.