» 08/25/2011 14:25 NORTH KOREA – RUSSIA In Russia, Kim says his country ready “to return to six party talks” on disarmament Pyongyang is ready to return to the negotiating table “without preconditions”, Medvedev said at the end of his meeting with Kim. Moscow is offering North Korea humanitarian aid following recent floods and famine. Washington and Seoul want however a moratorium on nuclear tests.
Moscow (AsiaNews/Agencies) – North Korea is ready “to return to six-party talks without preconditions,” said Natalya Timakova, spokeswoman for Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, speaking at the end of Kim Jong-Il’s visit to Russia, she added that the North Korean leader is prepared “to resolve the issue of imposing a moratorium on testing and production of missile and nuclear weaponry.”
Kim’s first visit to Russia since 2002 is a sign of how desperately Pyongyang needs foreign aid. Reeling under international sanctions over its nuclear tests, the country last month also experienced floods, in addition to chronic food shortages and lack of investments. This has forced its leaders to ask Russia and China for money and material help.
However, the dear leader’s overture falls far short of the demands of the other members of the Six-Nation group (United States, Japan and South Korea) that want a test moratorium before returning to the talks.
Yet, however limited North Korea’s willingness to resume talks may be, driven by its current crisis more than anything else, it is still something, especially if we consider that it is controlled by a clan-based state that rules with an iron fist, censorship, intimidation and ubiquitous personality cult.
According to Medvedev, Kim expressed interest in a Russian gas pipeline to South Korea running through North Korean territory, and this despite intra-Korean animosity.
The 1,700-km Gazprom pipeline (700 of which in North Korea) would have an initial capacity of 10 billion m3 a year. This would provide North Korea with earnings of up to US$ 100 million a year from transit fees. However, not everyone in Seoul would like to see the North strengthened this way.
Meanwhile, North Korea can count on 50,000 tonnes of wheat from Moscow by the end of September, a godsend in view of recent devastating floods. Equally, Pyongyang might get a discount on the US$ 11 billion debt it incurred with the old Soviet Union.
Some experts believe that Kim also obtained Moscow’s backing for Kim Jong-un, his youngest son and heir apparent.
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