North Korea Waits for Oil-Fuel and Diplomatic Recognition

BEIJING. 14 July. VOSTOK-MEDIA. On Saturday, Beijing, the 6 party talks started on July, 10, were ended. As “Vostok-Media” correspondent reports, the head of the Russian delegation Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexey Borodavkin, told that talks were successful. Sides approved a communiqué stating that parties agreed on creation a mechanism to verify nuclear sites in North Korea which were declared by Pyongyang on June, 26.
According to the results achieved on the previous round of talks completed in November, 2007 it must have been made until end of 2007. The full list and “guaranteed deactivation” of nuclear site in Yongbyon were supposed to finish the second part of denuclearization process in DPRK (while the preparation part of the process, sides agreed on the process conditions and defrosted Delta Asia accounts (Macao) returning $24 billion to Pyongyang. In answer, the rest 5 countries should have supplied North Korea with extra 1 million tones of oil fuel for thermal power plants and give economic assistance. However, due to some reasons, the implementation was delayed. In detail, there was a delay in supplying of oil fuel to North Korea. And DPRK declared it’s the nuclear site list only on June, 26, 2008. Now its fullness and accuracy should be examined by a special committee. The committee establishment has been recently discussed in Beijing. Mechanism of verification will include on-site visit in North Korea, examination of necessary documentation and consultations with the experts.
All the 6 sides will be involved in the process and when necessary, IAEA will join as well. Soon the working group will discuss some technical questions about the verification process. Though, it remains unknown when this mechanism will be launched because first of all the second part of denuclearization process should end up. For now the North Korean delegation promised that DPRK will have completed dismantling of sites in Yongbyon being held under the supervision of IAEA inspectors and the U.S. experts by the end of October, 2008. All the rest participants should complete the compensation payments to Pyongyang. Inter alia, Russia and USA will supply the rest of fuel, China and South Korea during August will finish signing of treaties with North Korea regarding the electrical equipment.
Though, it does not go easy with Japan which expressed its wish to participate but also stated that she will fulfill its obligations only if the necessary conditions are made. Tokyo meant the final decision regarding several Japanese citizens kidnapped by the North Korean intelligent agency and bringing them back alive or giving evidences of their death. Pyongyang’s words that North Korea returned everything are not trusted in Tokyo. It can become an obstacle for Japan to fulfill obligations and jeopardize implementation of the second part of denuclearization process.
Another troublesome aspect can become an obligation of the U.S. to exclude DPRK from the list of countries assisting terrorism and to resume diplomatic relations with DPRK.
Meanwhile, DPRK announced that they had fulfilled their obligations by 80% when all the other sides had done it by 40% only. And until all obligations are not fulfilled, Pyongyang warns, the third part of the process will not be lunched, i.e. the verification of the North Korea nuclear program.
This means that Pyongyang does not still believe that the counter side, namely USA, Japan and South Korea, are ready to fulfill their obligations. The situation is complicated by the fact that in Seoul the democrats sympathizing for North Korea, mostly decedents who fighted with military South Korean regimes, were changed in favor of the conservative party in the Blue House (residency of the South Korea President) heading by Li Men Back. He has already “miffed” Pyongyang by saying to wind up the communication with North Korea until the full dismantling if its nuclear program. As Pyongyang declares, Li Men Back threw relations between two Koreas 10 years back, i.e. before the epochal time when Kim De June met Kim Chen Ira and this meeting made people on both sides to believe in further communication and cooperation. That is why efforts of Li Men June to change the situation have not had any results yet. On Friday President of South Korea proposed to start conciliation talks. At the first meeting of the new National Council he said that South Korean government is ready to hold serious consultations with Pyongyang about bringing into life agreements: Joint communiqué, 1972; Basic agreement, 1991 and declaration of 2000 and 2007 summits.
But on Sunday North Korea newspaper “Nodon Cinmun” called his proposal a false tactics that Li Men Back used to relieve the responsibility for deterioration of relations.
Though, it is possible that Pyongyang demonstratively denying Li Men Back’s proposal, hopes to achieve an agreement with the U.S. government counting that the George Bush’s administration needs a progress in the DPRK ‘s nuclear program talks. And if Pyongyang can instate in favor of Washington (i.e. excluding DPRK from the list of countries assisting terrorism and renewing diplomatic relations with the U.S.) then Seoul will have to mend relations.
A reason of disdain to Li Men Back may be a falling popularity because he raised a ban on import of American beef where a virus of “mad cow” disease was found. That brought many thousand manifestations in South Korea and 20% fall of Li Men Back’s popularity. However, it is a long way for North Korea to mend relations with the U.S. In spite of George Bush’s ambition to achieve success in DPRK’s case serious problems may arise while the process of verification if it is even started (if no, then it becomes a big problem itself). Now striving to complete the second part Americans forgot their blames of North Korea, like uranium enrichment process in North Korea.
Meanwhile, Pakistani nuclear scientist, Abdula Kadir Khan, the creator of Pakistani nuclear bomb, which words the blames were based on, recently declared to the information centre Associated Press, that in 2000 moving of centrifuges for uranium enrichment from Pakistan to North Korea was sanctioned by Pakistani military command, which means Pervez Musharaff knew about it as he was at the moment the Chief Executive, Combined Chief of Staff and Army Forces. Though, yesterday Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shakh Mehmud Kureshi announced that it is a lie. He also said that no more investigation in the case of Pakistani military command’s involvement into Kadir Khan’s illicit actions transmitting nuclear technology to Iran, DPRK and Libya will be done. “The necessary steps were made”, the aim to “secure the world and not let nuclear technology leakage again” was achieved and a spy net organized by Kadir Khan “effectively neutralized”. The question, however, remained unanswered: Did Pakistan transmit nuclear technology and equipment to North Korea or not? And this question will appear again when the verification process will start. Also the question is: Did DPRK help Syria create nuclear bombs? How many bombs does DPRK possess that are ready for launching?

Andrey Ivanov, the correspondent for “Commersant” newspaper, specially for “Vostok-Media”.