Text Fwd: U.S. repeats call on N. Korea to return to 6-way talks: State Dept

Yonhap News
2009/08/08 04:30 KST
U.S. repeats call on N. Korea to return to 6-way talks: State Dept.
By Hwang Doo-hyong

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- The United States Friday renewed its call for North Korea to return to multinational talks on its denucleaization, saying nothing has changed in the U.S. position since ex-President Bill Clinton's trip to Pyongyang.

"Our policy remains the same with regard to North Korea," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. "The ball is in the North's court. It needs to come back to the six-party framework, so that we can continue on the path toward a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

Wood was trying to quell growing optimism that the landmark trip by Clinton might lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear programs, stalled after its recent nuclear and missile tests.

Clinton had a rare three-hour meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il Tuesday to discuss a variety of issues and, according to Pyongyang, conveyed a "verbal message" from U.S. President Barack Obama.

The White House has denied the delivery of any such message, categorizing the trip as a "private mission" to win the release of two American journalists held in North Korea since March for illegally entering the North on a reporting tour.

National Security Adviser James Jones, however, expressed the hope that the trip will help produce a breakthrough in the deadlocked talks.

"And we certainly hope it could lead to other good things, but we won't know that for a while," Jones told reporters Thursday. "This was a -- who knows where the future will lead ?"

Reports indicate that Kim Jong-il proposed a "grand deal" to Obama through the former U.S. president, whom Kim had reportedly chosen as the only emissary who could help release the journalists.

Clinton will likely meet with Obama in the coming days to brief him about the substance of the conversation he had with the reclusive communist leader and offer his first-hand impression of Kim, who is said to have suffered a stroke last summer. He is also rumored to have pancreatic cancer.

Clinton spoke to Jones Wednesday by phone, according to the White House.

Wood said that scheduling is still under way for Obama's meeting with Clinton.

The North's nuclear and missile tests in recent months invited international sanctions, which led the regime to boycott the six-party talks, citing "U.S. hostility," but also to demand bilateral talks with Washington.

The U.S. insists any bilateral talks be held within the six-party framework.

Pyongyang's recent provocations are seen as an attempt to facilitate an unprecedented third generation power transition to Kim Jong-Il's third and youngest son, Jong-un, 26.

Kim's lengthy meeting with Clinton apparently eased concerns over his health.

South Korean and U.S. officials have said they were discussing a "comprehensive package" for a possible breakaway from a six-party deal on the North's denuclearization that calls for action for action in the process of nuclear dismantlement by the reclusive communist state.

Critics have said North Korea has used the six-party deal as a way to buy time over the past six years for its eventual nuclear armament.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently reiterated the principles of the six-party deal by promising that "full normalization of relations, a permanent peace regime, and significant energy and economic assistance are all possible in the context of full and verifiable denuclearization."

hdh@yna.co.kr

* Related article

Korea Times
08-07-2009 17:38
'Clinton Warns North Korean Leader of Further Isolation'


* Related blog
http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/08/text-fwd-analysis-clintons-visit-to.html
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Text Fwd: [Analysis] Clinton’s visit to Pyongyang could be a turning point in N. Korea-U.S. relations

Text Fwd: [Analysis] Clinton’s visit to Pyongyang could be a turning point in N. Korea-U.S. relations

* Image source/ description: same as below

'Journalist Laura Ling speaks in front of Euna Lee, former Vice President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton after Ling and Lee arrive at Hangar 25 on August 5, 2009 in Burbank, California after being released by North Korean authorities yesterday. Ling and Lee, of San Francisco based Current TV, were both arrested by North Korea in March for illegally entering the country on the Chinese border. Yesterday Commissioner Kim Jong-Il pardoned them after a meeting with former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Ling and Lee had been sentenced to 12 years in prison in June. (AFP)'

Hankyoreh
[Analysis] Clinton’s visit to Pyongyang could be a turning point in N. Korea-U.S. relations: Although White House says Clinton’s visit was a private mission, a KCTV report suggests it is a sign of possible improvement in relations
Posted on : Aug.6,2009 11:48 KST Modified on : Aug.6,2009 11:50 KST

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton left Pyongyang on Wednesday morning with the two U.S.　reporters who had been detained in North Korea and arrived in Los Angeles late at night (Korea time).

The visit to North Korea lasted only two days and one night, but its significance is great. The visit has provided a possible stepping stone for a turning point in the political situation on the Korean Peninsula, which has been growing increasingly tense since North Korea’s long-range rocket launch and second nuclear test.

The Barack Obama administration’s decision to approve Clinton’s visit is a “gift” to North Korea to see if a change in the North Korea-US relationship is possible.

In a report on the visit results released Wednesday morning, North Korea’s Korea Central TV (KCTV) said Clinton had respectfully conveyed a verbal message from President Obama on his views on plans to improve relations between North Korea and the U.S.

There is controversy over whether there was a verbal message from Obama, but it appears that Clinton may have conveyed an outline of the Obama administration’s North Korea policy. One diplomatic expert said he must have explained at least as much as his wife, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, did last month at the ASEAN Regional Forum. At the time, Secretary Clinton said if North Korea gives up nuclear weapons, everything was possible, including economic aid and the construction of a peace regime and normalization in relations with North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s “return courtesy” for former President Clinton’s visit, in addition to the pardon of the two U.S. journalists, has not yet been released. Some believe it is possible that North Korea, which has been claiming it would never abandon nuclear weapons, may have made a gesture of good faith concerning denuclearization. On the matter of “dialogue,” some believe Kim may have indicated some direction for possible follow-up by saying something along the lines that North Korea has only rejected a six party framework that abandons the spirit of mutual coexistence as embodied in the September 19 Joint Statement made in 2005, and not the six-party talks themselves.

In addition, KCTV reported that Kim and Clinton shared a frank and deep discussion concerning pending issues between North Korea and the U.S. and that both agreed to resolve issues through dialogue. Some see this as suggesting Kim is promising not to take additional actions to aggravate the situation in order to contribute to building the necessary atmosphere needed to for North Korea-U.S. talks.

Thanks to Kim and Clinton’s “unofficial dialogue,” moves toward official talks between North Korea and the U.S. are expected to take place. Some analysts suggest changes may be made in the internal power structure of the Obama administration concerning North Korea policy. Kim Yeon-cheol, the head of the Hankyoreh Peace Research Institute said until recently, those in favor of sanctions had been the loudest. He said that while arguments for sanctions would not completely go away, the atmosphere in Washington for a resolution through dialogue might gain strength.

Meanwhile, at a briefing Tuesday afternoon (local time), White House press secretary Robert Gibbs repeatedly stressed that the issue of the journalists’ release is seen separate from North Korea policy matters, and Clinton’s visit was a “solely private mission.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]


© 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company


* Related article

Hankyoreh
U.S.’s N. Korea policy remains unofficially unchanged since Clinton’s visit
Officials say Clinton pressed for release of South Korean and Japanese individuals while asking for pardon of two U.S. journalists
Posted on : Aug.7,2009 12:26 KST


Hankyoreh
[Analysis] Can President Lee keep pace with North Korea-US relations?: As Clinton takes the limelight for North Korea issues, analysts suggest Lee’s August 15 address will be critical for sounding out any changes in strategy on inter-Korea relations
Posted on : Aug.6,2009 12:06 KST
© 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Text Fwd: [Analysis] Clinton and Kim Jong-il may discuss a big deal to break nuclear deadlock

http://nobasestorieskorea.blogspot.com/2009/08/text-fwd-n-korean-leader-receives.html
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Text Fwd: N. Korean leader receives Obama's message from Clinton: state media


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Freed Journalists 'Treated Well' During Captivity in N.Korea
Aug. 07, 2009 09:10 KST

Text Fwd: N. Korean leader receives Obama's message from Clinton: state media

* Image source:

1. Korea Report
August 4, 2009
Bill Clinton in Pyongyang

2. New York Times
'A photo released by North Korea's news agency Tuesday shows former president Bill Clinton and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. (KCNA, via Reuters)'


Yonhap News
2009/08/04 22:57 KST
(2nd LD) N. Korean leader receives Obama's message from Clinton: state media

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il met with visiting former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Pyongyang on Tuesday and received a "verbal message" from the U.S. president, the North's state media said.

Clinton arrived in North Korea earlier Tuesday in a trip apparently aimed at winning the release of two detained American journalists.

"Bill Clinton courteously conveyed a verbal message of U.S. President Barack Obama to Kim Jong-il," the official Korean Central News Agency said.

"Kim Jong-il expressed thanks for this. He welcomed Clinton's visit to the DPRK (North Korea) and had an exhaustive conversation with him," it said.

The White House, however, denied sending a message through Clinton. "That's not true," its spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.

North Korea's media report said there was "a wide-ranging exchange of views on the matters of common concern" between Kim and Clinton.

North Korean Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju and a Workers' Party department director, Kim Yang-gon, attended the meeting, it said.

The National Defense Commission, which oversees the country's military and is chaired by Kim Jong-il, later hosted a dinner for Clinton and his entourage at the state guest house, according to the media report.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, female reporters from the San Francisco-based media group Current TV, were arrested March 17 near the North Korea-China border while reporting on North Korean defectors. They were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor by the North on charges of illegal entry and hostile acts.

Current TV was co-founded by Al Gore, who was Clinton's vice president.

Clinton's surprise visit raised hopes for renewed momentum for dialogue and a breakthrough in the long-stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

hkim@yna.co.kr

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Kim Jong Il-Clinton Discuss the Joint Concern
[Alternative] "Delivery of Obama's Spoken Message".. Welcome Dinner at the Baekwhawon
2009. 08. 04

Korea Report
August 4, 2009
Bill Clinton in Pyongyang

Yonhap News
Clinton Discusses 'Issues of Interest' With Kim Jong-il
08-04-2009 19:14

New York Times
North Korea Is Said to Pardon Two American Journalists
By CHOE SANG-HUN, MARK LANDLER and PETER BAKER
Published: August 4, 2009

Washington Post
N. Korea Says Two U.S. Journalists Have Been Pardoned
By Glenn Kessler and Stella Kim
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Washington Post
Clinton's Unwise Trip to North Korea By John R. Bolton
Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Video Fwd: Reply to Cordaro YOUTUBE (25 mins)- Al Jazeera film on Break In to the NSA Pine Gap Base in Australia lead by Australian CWer

* Text Fwd by Ciaron OReilly and Frank Cordaro sent on April 4. 2009*

[Reply to Cordaro YOUTUBE (25 mins)- Al Jazeera film on Break In to the NSA Pine Gap Base in Australia lead by Australian CWer

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ciaron OReilly
Date: Wed, Apr 1, 2009

Find links below to the film of the Pine Gap www.pinegap6.org break in, trial and successful appeal. Pine Gap is a secretive U.S. N.S.A. hi tech warfighting base located in the isolated Australian outback. Jim Dowling Australian CWer, Adele Goldie, Bryan Law and Donna Mulhearn calling themselves "Christians Against All Terrorism" carried out a citizen's Inspection of the base in Dec 05 to investigate Australian complicity in the ongoing wars against Iraq and Afghanistan.

Al Jazeera International last week broadcast this film (25 minutes length) - just days after delivery and days after the Australia's Defence Legislation was changed in the wake of the Pine Gap 4 citizen’s inspection, trial and appeal. The film was run in the network’s ‘People and Power’ strand as intended. You can watch the programme as broadcast on YouTube – complete with Al Jazeera’s own presenter

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=pine+gap+aljazeera&aq=f

People & Power - Pine Gap Four - 21 March 09 - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhCKFZhXLRY




People & Power - Pine Gap Four - 21 March 09 - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WQ4UZlv2uU




"The story of four untrained activists breaking into Australia's most secure base. In December 2005, four members of a non-violent group called "Christians against all terrorism" broke into the base, alleged that the facility was a spy base pinpointing targets in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and felt morally obliged to stop what they saw as Australia's secret cooperation in the war."

To post to this group, send email to Offitt-list-one@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Offitt-list-one?hl=en

Text fwd: Two U.S. journalists will face trial in N. Korea

* Image source/ caption*
Same as the article below

'The detained U.S. reporters, Korean American Euna Lee, left, and Chinese American Laura Ling.'

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/347372.html
Two U.S. journalists will face trial in N. Korea :Some experts say that North Korea may use the release as a bargaining chip after launching its satellite April 1, 2009

North Korea said yesterday that it is taking steps to indict two U.S. journalists, who are currently detained in the that country, raising concerns that their release could be especially delayed at this time as North Korea is poised to launch what it calls a “satellite.”

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea has obtained evidence on the journalists‘ illegal entry, and hostile activities and preparations are underway to indict the two reporters.

Observers say that the announcement of the interim investigation and comments regarding possible indictment by North Korea are intended to facilitate securing an upper hand for its future negotiations with the United States. Sadly, this is not good news for Washington, which seeks to have the U.S. citizens released as quickly as possible.

Experts say that it is unusual for North Korea to disclose the results of its interim investigation. They indicate this recent announcement, however, may be intended to draw attention from the U.S., which wants to resolve the matter quietly, opening the way for negotiations.

North Korea says it has confirmed evidence of illegal entry as well as involvement in hostile activities but did not elaborate on details clarifying whether the journalists engaged in espionage activities. Under North Korea’s criminal law, “hostile activities” are defined as cases where foreigners intend to do harm to its people and properties or instigate conflict among its citizens. Espionage activities, meanwhile, are defined as cases where non-North Korean people search, collect and provide information for the sake of spying. The level of punishment for the two charges is similar but espionage carries more diplomatic significance.

Against this backdrop, experts worry that North Korea might be attempting to buy as much time as possible until its launch, and may use the release issue as a bargaining chip in later negotiations with the U.S. A　diplomatic source in Washington said, “The issue of their release could provide the reason for talks between high-ranking officials of the two countries after tensions subside to some extent following North Korea’s launch of a long-range missile.”

It is clear to some analysts that the release of the two journalists will not be immediate given North Korea‘s notice of intended legal proceedings. The North has allowed consular access to Swedish diplomats staying in Pyongyang who have formal diplomatic relations with the U.S., a humanitarian move apparently aimed at avoiding criticism that it is using their release merely for political benefit. The KCNA said that the two journalists are being treated in accordance with related international laws.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]