"Good First Day" At N. Korea Nuke Talks

U.S. Envoy Optimistic, Chinese Distribute Draft Agreement To Halt Weapons Program

(CBS/AP)  The main U.S. nuclear envoy said Thursday that North Korea nuclear talks resumed on a positive note, and that sides were hoping to achieve an agreement on the first steps for Pyongyang's disarmament.

"We had a good first day today," Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters Thursday evening. "We hope we can achieve some kind of joint statement here."

A draft statement was in fact distributed later Thursday by the Chinese hosts of the talks, a South Korean official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing diplomacy, gave no details of the draft.

However, other delegates said earlier the agreement would outline initial steps for implementing a September 2005 agreement reached at six-nation talks where Pyongyang pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

Unlike the last round of six-nation talks in December, Hill said the countries "were able to make progress on discussing denuclearization."

Hill had said the Chinese draft agreement would lay out a "set of actions taken in a finite amount of time." He declined to give specifics, but said the moves would take place in a matter of "single-digit weeks."

"We are prepared to discuss first-stage measures," North Korean nuclear envoy Kim Kye Gwan said on arriving in Beijing for the six-nation negotiations, which began at a Chinese state guesthouse.

American experts who visited Kim in Pyongyang last week said North Korea would propose a freeze of its main nuclear reactor and a resumption of international inspections in exchange for energy aid and a normalization of relations with Washington.

CBS News reporter Celia Hatton reports that North Korea's primary demand is likely to be that Washington hand over roughly $24 million in assets that was frozen by the U.S. government.

The Bush administration has maintained that the money is tied to counterfeiting and money laundering.

But, Hatton says, many analysts believe the U.S. will offer — or may already have offered — to free up some of the funds to get the diplomatic ball rolling.

Kim said Thursday that any moves by North Korea would depend on the United States' attitude.

"We are going to make a judgment based on whether the United States will give up its hostile policy and come out toward peaceful coexistence," he said, adding that the U.S. was "well aware" of what it had to do.

"Pyongyang has made it clear that it will make initial unilateral gestures, but expects some movement from Washington, particularly in the area of restoring diplomatic relations," says CBS News foreign affairs analyst Pamela Falk.

North Korea has twice boycotted the nuclear talks for more than a year, claiming various U.S. policies show the Bush administration intends to topple its communist government.

"I'm not either optimistic or pessimistic because there are still many points of confrontation to resolve," Kim said.

Still, his comments marked a change in North Korea's position from the last round of talks in December, when Kim refused to even discuss disarmament and demanded the lifting of U.S. financial restrictions against a Macau bank where North Korea held accounts.

[dallison7]

North Korea has twice boycotted the nuclear talks for more than a year, claiming various U.S. policies show the Bush administration intends to topple its communist government.

Another ploy by Kim Jung Il. This guy is almost as greed and crazy as Dubya.

[perception5]

dallison7 - "Another ploy by Kim Jung Il. This guy is almost as greed and crazy as Dubya. "

Yeah.....but not as crazy as Willie Clinton who allowed him to develop his nuks during the 1990's.
Clinton failed to do the "trust but verify" that Ronald Reagan repeatly insisted amoung when dealing with another Communist government, the Soviets.

Now North Korea has nuks.......and now another GOP President has to fix the problem.......in the future America doesn't need anymore "takecarer" Presidents.

[rafterman1]

perception5, the pathetic habit of blaming Clinton shows that the conservative movement in this country has become delusional. Nice try blaming Clinton, but most of the work on detonating their first weapon was achieved the last SIX YEARS under Bush. And even if it had been Clinton's fault, the idea that "now another GOP President has to fix the problem" is laughable, especially cncerning who that GOP president is now. The only thing Bush could fix was coke during his binges. But Bush is an expert at breaking things as Iraq shows us every day.

I know the stress of knowing that everything the Republicans have touched the last 6 years has turned to *** is tough on you. It's rough having to constantly find ways of blaming Clinton for every disaster Bush has caused.

[dallison7]

I know the stress of knowing that everything the Republicans have touched the last 6 years has turned to *** is tough on you. It's rough having to constantly find ways of blaming Clinton for every disaster Bush has caused.

Posted by Rafterman1

I'm waiting for some right wing-nut to proclaim loudly, "Clinton has the $12 Billion that's missing!!"

[rafterman1]

"I'm waiting for some right wing-nut to proclaim loudly, "Clinton has the $12 Billion that's missing!!"

Naw, Clinton is too busy having people secretly murdered :) I do have to say though, Bush hasn't had anyone killed secretly. All of Bush's killing is going on right out in the open in Iraq.

[lpsuperman]

i agree with you there but i think clinton did a beter job than the bush's ever will...

[lpcgraham06]

hello people

[lpsuperman]

people, it feels so good to be back :~)

[lpsuperman]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~thats how easy it is to go to war!!!

[lpcgraham06]

(o o)
*^*
O

[lpcgraham06]

(o o)
^
O

[lpcgraham06]

} )

[panhandlpete]

hmmmm... looks like KIM wins after all. How much energy AID can he "threat" from the US treasury? It would seem that "freedom" is bought for us all over the globe. Every little country wants a piece of the pie. It is known that ISRAEL has nuclear weapons. Our GWB traded with INDIA nuclear technology (without restrictions) for mangoes, and PAKISTAN has nuclear weapons, and so do France, China, England and Russia. (Could have missed a few.)

Dare say all other members of the 6 party talks will get some "piece of the pie", be it a trade benefit, a debt forgiveness or whatever, just for sitting down at the table.

Why can't we "buy off" the Islamic Fundamentalist Terriorists, too? Because they "hate us" and "must kill all the infidels" as someone has brainwashed them to believe. It appears that they already have such a neverending supply of funds that they can make threats to any place on the globe, or, so we are told by those who want us to "be afraid".

[legendary240]

These dog-eaters just want to back in the news again to stoke the runt's ego back up. Expect nothing from this.

[legendary240]

Clinton has the $12 Billion that's missing!!

[bigwhtpony]

I think we should offer up Jimmah Carter as a sacrifice to 'lil Kim!! If that doesn't work, we should just put a choke hold on him and let all of the Ameican deligation give him head nookies!!! :)

Oh, I was serious about Jimmah. Since he has an affinity for dictators, I think it only fitting that he offer himself up.

[antoniof123]

Some of you are just too funny Bill Clinton will go down in history as a great President while the clowns we have now well he will go down in history as the worst the US has ever had. Too bad because he could have done things differently like not hire his Vice President.

[lars008-2009]

*** when did communism become a monarchy???

n korea hands power father to son to son????
cuba hands power to brother???

i thought we were all equal??? right comrade???...lol

http://www.nk-news.net/index.php
http://www.nk-news.net/extras/insult_generator.php

[lars008-2009]

Always knew demonic-rats were against free speech%u2026%u2026.lol

YouTube blocked video mocking Clinton administration
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52405

A drudge video link
Limits imposed on access to clip critical of Albright-run North Korea policy
http://drudgereport.com/flashma.htm

YOU HAVE BEEN ZUCKERED LIBSCUM...LOL

EXCLUSIVE: 'SCARY MOVIE' DIRECTOR MAKES CAMPAIGN AD; MOCKS DEMOCRATS...
http://www.drudgereport.com/flashma.htm
The David Zucker Albright Ad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h3GPc_yMCE

[lars008-2009]

Carter legacy on N Korea.....
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/5/12/164726.shtml

Clinton legacy on N Korea....
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/1/7/164846.shtml

McCain Criticizes Clinton on N. Korea
"I would remind Senator (Hillary) Clinton and other Democrats critical of the Bush administration's policies that the framework agreement her husband's administration negotiated was a failure," McCain said at a news conference after a campaign appearance for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard.

"The Koreans received millions and millions in energy assistance. They've diverted millions of dollars of food assistance to their military," he said.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061010/D8KM1OR80.html
U.S. Aid Helps N. Korea Build Nukes, Congress Told
http://www.cnsnews.com/Pentagon/Archive/1998-2000/DEF20000417a.html

[lars008-2009]

Join the battle for North Korea... watch the video:
http://mdcyguy.blogspot.com/2006/10/join-battle-for-north-korea.html
http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/dprkchron.asp#1994
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/12/15/nkorea.us/index.html
N. Korea: Sanctions Are War Declaration
"The resolution cannot be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war" against the North, the statement said. North Korea is known officially as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/17/D8KQDMT80.html
North Korean General: 'War Is Inevitable'
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2585531
China cited as N. Korea supplier
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061031-120304-2744r.htm

[bigwhtpony]

Maybe I should remind you that Jimmy Carter let the Shah into this country for medical treatment which led to the muslim terrorists seizing out embassy for almost 2 years! It was also Jimmah who gave away the Panama Canal, among other idiotic fumblings which are too numerous to mention here.

President Reagan and Margaret Thatcher are credited with bringing down the Soviet Union. And I noticed that the our hostages were freed as soon as President Reagan was sworn in.

I don't know what revisionist history books you've been reading, mjlewis6....but you'd do well to study a little bit before posting on things you obviously know nothing about.

[peter2489]

Yes carter was a weak leader and what the last comment posted said is true,carter was ***!!!.

[formrusmcsgt]

Bush is basically reinstating the Clinton plan he criticized and cancelled 3 years ago.

The difference is the N. Koreans had 2 nukes then, now they have 12.

Another Bush success........

[lars008-2009]

*** when did communism become a monarchy???

n korea hands power father to son to son????
cuba hands power to brother???

i thought we were all equal??? right comrade???...lol

http://www.nk-news.net/index.php
http://www.nk-news.net/extras/insult_generator.php