North Korean Talks Give Hope Of Thaw

Associated Press新墨西哥州州长理查森（中）在与朝鲜外交官谈话朝鲜的一个外交代表团对美国新墨西哥州州长理查森(Bill Richardson)说，平壤准备与奥巴马政府进行广泛的裁军谈判，但谈判要在华盛顿所中意的多边框架之外进行。朝方周三在新墨西哥州对理查森的这番表态，是朝鲜领导人金正日迄今为止在恢复朝核问题谈判方面发出的最清晰信号。此举传达的信息是，在朝鲜今年5月进行核试爆并发射一系列导弹从而扰乱了东北亚局势后，这个与世隔绝的国家已准备恢复围绕朝鲜核计划的谈判。理查森在他位于圣达菲的办公室会晤了两名朝鲜外交官。理查森在一份声明中说，这个代表团表示，朝鲜准备就核问题与美国展开新的对话。声明说，现在的问题是，美国是准备像朝鲜希望的那样，与其进行面对面的双边谈判，还是利用美国一贯支持的六方会谈框架来与之谈判；朝鲜人显然想举行双边谈判，而不是在六方会谈框架内进行会谈。理查森对美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)说，我首次察觉到......紧张局势有所减轻，出现了一些积极的迹象。事实是他们准备再次举行对话。平壤的最新立场有可能使奥巴马总统在外交上面临困难处境。白宫一直强调说，在平壤履行其以前做出的裁军承诺前，美国政府不会与其达成任何可给朝鲜带来经济和外交好处的新协议。美国官员强调说，他们希望与朝鲜的全部谈判都在六方会谈框架内进行。参与这一会谈的其他国家还有俄罗斯中国韩国和日本。美国国务院发言人克劳里(P.J. Crowley)说，尽管有了理查森州长与朝鲜外交官的这次会晤，但美国不会从自己承诺的立场上后退。他说，我们一直明言，朝鲜应该回到六方会谈进程中去，因为这一会谈是我们与盟友协调合作的最清晰方式。在这一进程中，有展开双边会谈的巨大空间。身为民主党人的理查森州长曾一度有望进入奥巴马政府的内阁，他一直扮演着美朝外交纠纷调解员的角色，曾前往平壤去谈释放美国军人的问题。白宫和国务院都强调说， 理查森是以美国普通公民的身份招待朝鲜人的。但据美国官员说，国务院批准了这两名朝鲜外交官前往新墨西哥州。白宫发言人吉布斯(Robert Gibbs)说，这些会晤“很有希望”导致旨在终止朝鲜核计划的国际谈判。由于美国和朝鲜没有外交关系，朝鲜外交官被禁止到联合国总部所在地纽约曼哈顿以外的美国地区去旅行。他们前往曼哈顿以外地区需要国务院的批准。理查森州长的办公室表示，朝鲜代表团对新墨西哥州的清洁能源项目表示了强烈兴趣。朝方的这一兴趣可能并不像听起来那样不可思议。新墨西哥州在开发风能太阳能和生物能方面一直走在美国的前列，而朝鲜缺电则是出了名的。平壤不断强调说，其核计划的部分目的就是提供能源。Jay Solomon相关阅读现代与朝鲜达成协议 韩国官方态度疏离 2009-08-18朝鲜同意向韩国游客重启金刚山旅游项目 2009-08-17朝鲜释放被扣韩国工人刘成振 2009-08-14美国官员称朝鲜有意改善两国关系 2009-08-10金正日借克林顿访朝大作文章 2009-08-06


A delegation of North Korean diplomats told New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson that Pyongyang was prepared for expansive disarmament talks with the Obama administration, but outside the multilateral format Washington prefers.The comments made to Gov. Richardson Wednesday in New Mexico are the clearest signal yet from North Korean leader Kim Jong Il that his reclusive state is prepared to resume negotiations over its nuclear program following Pyongyang's May detonation of an atomic device and a string of missile launches that have rattled Northeast Asia. Gov. Richardson met two North Korean diplomats Wednesday at his office in Santa Fe.'The delegation indicated that North Korea is ready for a new dialogue with the United States regarding the nuclear issue,' Mr. Richardson said in a statement. 'The question is whether to proceed with face-to-face bilateral talks, as the North Koreans prefer, or to utilize the six-party framework that the United States has advocated. The North Koreans clearly want bilateral talks and not the six-party framework.''I detected for the first time . . . a lessening of tension, some positive vibrations. The fact that they're ready to have a dialogue again,' Mr. Richardson said on CNN.Pyongyang's emerging position could place President Barack Obama in a difficult position diplomatically. The White House has stressed that it won't cut any new deals offering economic or diplomatic incentives to Pyongyang until it lives up to previous disarmament pledges it has made.U.S. officials have stressed their intention to keep all talks with North Korea inside the six-party negotiating format that includes Russia, China, South Korea and Japan.State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. wasn't backing away from its commitment, despite Gov. Richardson's meeting. 'We have been clear that North Korea should come back to the six-party process as it's the clearest way for us to coordinate with our allies,' he said. 'Within this process, there's significant room for bilateral talks.'Gov. Richardson -- a Democrat once in the running for a cabinet-level position with the Obama administration -- has long played the role of diplomatic troubleshooter with the North, having traveled to Pyongyang to negotiate the release of American servicemen. The White House and State Department both stressed that Gov. Richardson was hosting the North Koreans in his capacity as a private citizen. But the State Department provided legal approval for the two North Korean diplomats to travel to New Mexico, according to U.S. officials.White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said there was 'strong hope' that the meetings could lead to a resumption of international negotiations to end North Korea's nuclear program.North Korean diplomats are barred from traveling outside Manhattan -- home to the United Nations headquarters -- due to the absence of U.S.-North Korean diplomatic relations. Travel outside Manhattan requires State Department approval.Gov. Richardson's office mentioned that the North Korean delegation 'expressed a strong interest in New Mexico's clean energy projects.'The request might not be as odd as it sounds. New Mexico has been at the forefront of developing energy using wind, solar, and biomass sources, and North Korea is famously short of electricity. Pyongyang regularly states it wants nuclear power, in part, to provide energy.Jay Solomon