Human rights, denuclearization are the next step for North Korea negotiations

“What cannot be undone [...] is the knowledge that North Korea has gained in their nuclear development program since 2002”, said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) at a full committee hearing on the North Korean Six-Party Talks and implementation activities. “That knowledge will always exist, and with it, the concern that a weapons program could be resumed, or the knowledge proliferated.”

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs said that cooperation with the People’s Republic of China has been very important for the talks, and has helped the nation emerge as a responsible stakeholder in the region. He went on to say that during the first two phases of negotiations, North Korea has shut down and began dismantling the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center in exchange for 420,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and other energy supplies.

Hill also said that the US will continue to push the North Korean government for information on abductions of Japanese citizens, while also negotiating continued human rights reforms in response to reports of abuse.

William Tobey, deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation in the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration said that the third phase of negotiations will focus on implementation of comprehensive verification and denuclearization, and that the costs of these activities would be substantially higher than the previous steps. However, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) expressed concern over the costs of the next phase, expressing a desire to discuss sharing the expenses with other 6 members of the talks.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Discusses Success in Korean Denuclearization Talks

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today held a hearing used to determine the status of the Six Party Talks being used to try and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Chaired by Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), the Committee interrogated Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, praising him for the work he has done to ensure North Korea follows through on its commitment to “provide complete and correct declaration of all its nuclear programs, including weapons.”

Hill and the Committee were in agreement that progress has been made in the discussions held so far. Considering the fact that the Bush Administration was late to address the issue of eliminating Korean nuclear arms, Senator Kerry (D-MA) noted that Hill’s success has been particularly impressive,.

Talks also focused on other benefits associated with denuclearization. Biden reminded the Committee that the primary objective behind the Six Party Talks was not only to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, but also to provide their people with energy assistance, sanctions relief, and the creation of a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. With success in these talks, America could gain security in a peaceful, effective manner.