N. Korea Agrees to Arms Talks This Month
North Korea said today it would attend a second round of six-party talks on its nuclear weapons program, and China announced it would host the negotiations starting Feb. 25.
“The date was decided on the basis of consultations among the various parties,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said, adding that details of the agenda were still being discussed. The North’s official news agency also confirmed the date of the talks.
The first round of talks in August in Beijing involving North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia ended inconclusively.
North Korea has insisted it needs a nuclear “deterrent” against a possible U.S. attack. But it says it will suspend its nuclear programs as a first step in talks if Washington lifts sanctions against the North, resumes oil shipments, and removes North Korea from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism.
The United States says North Korea must verifiably begin dismantling its nuclear programs before receiving concessions.
On Monday, Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly met with South Korean officials in Seoul and expressed optimism that talks would resume soon.
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