12 November 2009
United States Engaging North Korea, Burma in Intensive Diplomacy
Washington — The United States is sending its special representative to meet with North Korean leaders “in the near future,” and the purpose and limits of this visit have been made clear to Pyongyang, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says.
“This is not a negotiation; it is an effort to pave the way toward North Korea’s return to the Six-Party process,” Clinton said at a press conference in the Suntec Conference Center in Singapore November 11. Foreign ministers from the member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum are meeting in advance of the leaders’ summit November 14–15.
The special representative for North Korea policy, Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, will take a small U.S. delegation to Pyongyang in the coming weeks after extensive consultations were held with the partners in the Six-Party process, which include China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and the United States. The process is designed to convince North Korean leaders to abandon their nuclear weapons and missile development programs in exchange for political and economic incentives.
Clinton said the partners “share our view that Ambassador Bosworth can use this opportunity to press the basic principles of the September 2005 joint statement, including full, peaceful, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and work toward the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.”
“Let me emphasize that our expectations of Pyongyang have not changed and will not change, nor has our commitment to the Six-Party process,” Clinton added. “North Korea’s nuclear program is of foremost concern, and the United States is committed to making progress on this issue.”
BURMA POLICY
Clinton also discussed a revised U.S. policy toward Burma that will include high-level diplomatic engagement and expectations that neighboring nations will offer support and their influence on the military junta that currently controls Burma. In recent weeks, the United States sent Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scot Marciel for meetings with government officials and private meetings with Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and members of political opposition and ethnic groups.
“It was a very thorough and constructive set of visits, and the United States is committed to a process to try to encourage and support Burma’s path to democracy,” Clinton told reporters.
“There is a lot of work to do,” she added. “We have no illusions that any of this will be easy or quick.”
Clinton also said the United States is not setting or dictating any specific conditions largely because of the belief that this has to be resolved by the Burmese people.
The military junta that has ruled Burma since 1962 has pledged to hold national elections next year, but has yet to say if Suu Kyi will be permitted to participate. In 1990, the junta rejected election results when Suu Kyi’s political party won in a landslide.
“U.S. [economic and political] sanctions will remain in place until we see meaningful progress in key areas,” Clinton said.
