North Korea Likely to Return to Six-Way Talks

"We believe North Korea will come back to the six-party talks sooner or later, possibly in late March or April, although we cannot predict the exact timing," the visiting South Korean offcial said, requesting anonymity. "Our judgement is based on circumstantial evidence surrounding recent contacts between North Korea and China."

The offcial made the remarks one day after South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday amid a furry of diplomatic activity to woo the reluctant North back to the nuclear talks which Pyongyang has boycotted since early last year over U.N. sanctions for its nuclear and missile tests.

North Korea has called for lifting of the sanctions and the start of talks for a peace treaty to replace the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War before it returns to the nuclear talks that involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

Washington wants Pyongyang to frst come back to the nuclear talks before discussing such issues. A number of positive signs emerged in recent days to suggest a likely resumption of the talks.

Stephen Bosworth, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea policy, said in Tokyo earlier in the day, "I hope that in the not too distant future but fairly soon we will see a resumption of the talks. For our part, we are ready to move on very short notice."Clinton also said Friday, "We're encouraged by signs of progress to return to the talks."

Philip Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, buttressed Clinton's remarks by saying, "We see the potential here for the sixparty process to begin in the coming weeks or months. But the key is looking for a signal from North Korea that they are in fact prepared to make that commitment. We see signs that they may be getting closer to making a decision."

Bosworth said in Tokyo, "I have no plans to meet North Korean offcials at this point," adding, "We have no philosophical objection to meeting bilaterally with the DPRK but our objective remains to resume the multilateral dialogue as soon as possible." The DPRK is North Korea's offcial name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"China's position is that North Koreans need measures for face-saving," the anonymous South Korean offcial said. "What South Korea and the U.S. fear is that North Korea will employ a strategy of buying time by circumventing the six-party format and focusing on bilateral meetings with the aim of being recognized as a nuclear weapons state eventually."

South Korea and the United States believe that sanctions have so far been effective in forcing North Korea to return to the sixparty talks, the offcial said. "We have no intention of easing sanctions until North Korea returns to the six-party talks and makes progress in its denuclearization."

South Korea and the United States believe that sanctions have so far been effective in forcing North Korea to return to the six-party talks, the offcial said. "We have no intention of easing sanctions until North Korea returns to the six-party talks and makes progress in its denuclearization."

Speaking to South Korean correspondents here over a luncheon meeting, Foreign Minister Yu said that South Korea and the United States will continue implementing sanctions on North Korea while concurrently seeking dialogue to lure the North back to the six-party talks.