Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill : Incheon Airport Arrival

May 26, 2006
Seoul, Korea

 

A/S Hill:  I’m coming in from Beijing and on my way back to the States.  Most of this trip was in Southeast Asia, where I was meeting with ASEAN colleagues.  I also had some bilateral meetings in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.  When I was in Beijing, I had a good opportunity to talk with my Six Party counterpart.  We discussed the way forward and the fact that we are still waiting for our North Korean colleagues to show up at the Talks.  We don’t have any breakthroughs there.  We had good discussion of the issues, a good discussion more generally of  what is going on in East Asia, but no breakthroughs related to North Korean participation in the Six Party Talks.

 

Question:  Do you feel that there is a way forward?

A/S Hill:  We have made very clear that we are committed to this diplomatic process through the Six Party Talks.  I think the Chinese are committed, and I think the three other partners are committed.  The only problem that we have is that North Korea can’t seem to make up its mind to return.

 

Question:  Is there anything you can do to bring them back?

A/S Hill:  I think it’s not for me to bring them back.  They’ve got to make up their own minds, make their own decisions.  I’ve said many times before that there is something on the table that is in their interest, in everyone’s interest.  It’s not up to us to create some new incentive structure; it’s up to them to come and implement the September Agreement.  The incentive structure is already in the September 19 Agreement.

 

Question:  Is the U.S. ready to open up peace negotiations with North Korea at this point?

A/S Hill:  We are prepared to implement and to work on all of the elements of the September Agreement.  If you recall, one of the elements is that the parties would agree to work on a peace mechanism at an appropriate forum with the appropriate players, so we would be prepared to implement that element as well.

 

Question:  President Roh just pointed out that he is willing to make unconditional concessions to  North Korea.  Do you find that helpful in getting North Korea back to the table?

A/S Hill:  I saw those reports—I think you are referring to something he was quoted as saying a couple of weeks ago in Mongolia.  We are in close contact with the government of Korea. We feel we have a pretty good understanding of what we all need to do.

 

Question:  There is an idea that maybe China can lend North Korea the $24 million that is frozen in the Macao bank and maybe somehow [inaudible]

A/S Hill:  I’m not sure that the North’s refusal to return to the Talks has anything to do with $24 million.  That $24 million could be made back by implementing the Agreement.  I’m not sure this is about the U.S. economic measures.  I think this is about a country, the DPRK, that is just having trouble making up its mind.

 

Question:  That idea is not being floated?

A/S Hill:  No, not with me.