Analysts are not pinning high hopes on the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament that start today in Beijing. There have already been initial clashes, from a distance, between the United States and North Korea.
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – A new session of six-party talks on nuclear disarmament starts today in Beijing but political analysts are not too hopeful about possible agreement.
The first signs of hostility came yesterday from the US delegation head Christopher Hill who said: “Before starting, I would like to know whether the head of the Pyongyang delegation, Kim Kye-gwan, has the authority to make a deal. I think the rest of us – South Korea, Japan, Russia and China – do, but with North Korea, one never knows."
The Korean response was swift. Kim Kye-gwan, one of the protégés of Kim Jong-il, described the talks as “meaningless unless Washington ended its hostile policy against us. I'm not optimistic about this.”
In September 2005 Pyongyang accepted to take part in six-nation talks about its nuclear programme in exchange for energy supplies and economic benefits. They were suddenly interrupted two months later when Washington blocked access by North Korea to foreign banks accusing the North Koreans of money laundering and counterfeiting US dollars.
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