DPRK urged to return to nuke talks

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By Wang Linyan and Li Xiaokun (China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-29 08:39

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry Thursday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to the Six-Party Talks, saying what the country had done in the past week to escalate tensions was "reckless and counterproductive".

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (R) and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry meet with Chinese officials at the Tsinghua University in Beijing May 26, 2009. [Agencies]

Kerry's remarks, made at a press briefing in Beijing at the end of a week-long visit, came as Republic of Korea (ROK) and US troops raised alert levels to the highest category since 2006, after the DPRK renounced on Wednesday a truce with the allied forces and threatened to strike ships trying to intercept its vessels.

Analysts saw the latest moves as a sign of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, following the DPRK's second underground nuclear test and its firing of a series of short-range missiles earlier this week.

"It will do absolutely nothing to advance their security interests. On the contrary, their pursuit of nuclear weapons will only deepen their political and economic isolation," Kerry said of the DPRK's nuclear tests.

Pyongyang does not need to conduct atomic tests to have the US engage in serious discussions over their ties, he said.

"The US remains open to dialogue with the DPRK. And I hope it will reconsider its conduct and come back to the Six-Party Talks," Kerry said.

Kerry said he also met Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Thursday.

"As for UN Security Council action, Yang agreed with us that DPRK's actions were wrong and that there need to be consequences," Kerry said.

"China will support a 'measured response' that is being negotiated in New York," he said. "The key now is to have serious discussion and get back to the table."

Pyongyang also said Thursday through its official media that it was preparing for a US-led attack.

The US has repeatedly denied it is planning military action against the country.

"The northward invasion planned by the US and the ROK has exceeded the alarming level," the DPRK's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary.

"A minor accidental skirmish can lead to a nuclear war."

In Seoul, ROK's defense ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae said his country was "maintaining a tight defense posture to prevent the North's military provocations" and that it would "deal sternly with provocative acts".

Similarly, a Western diplomat at the United Nations said leading powers were committed to a new resolution ordering tougher actions against Pyongyang.

Media reports also quoted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as saying that "a unified international community, including China and Russia" was crafting a UN response to punish the DPRK for its actions and "rein in" the regime.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, capping a weeklong visit to China, said in Beijing Thursday the actions of the DPRK "represented a danger to the security of the world".

"And those states which would aspire to be nuclear states are watching to see what the strength of our response will be. China is key here because of its proximity because of its relationship with the DPRK," she said.

Analysts said Kerry's remarks Thursday reaffirmed the US stance of expecting the DPRK to return to the disarmament talks, which also involves China, Russia, Japan and ROK.

"The US has raised its expectations of China to play a bigger role in dissolving the tension in the region," said Jin Canrong, deputy dean of the school of international studies at Renmin University of China.

But Liu Jiangyong, a scholar on Asia-Pacific issues at Tsinghua University, said it was "unrealistic" to drag the DPRK back to the negotiating table in such a short time.

"Cooperation between the US and China on this issue is crucial," Liu said.

Agencies contributed to the story