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Rice may discuss possible options against North Korea with Asian nations
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves on a key mission to northeast Asia this week and will likely discuss possible options if North Korea fails to return to multilateral talks aimed to end its nuclear weapons program. The fact that Rice's July 8-13 trip would be the second to China, South Korea and Japan in some three months underlines how serious the mission is, analysts said. "It is recognizing that we are down to a critical period, a crossroads in the diplomatic process," said Derek Mitchell of the US Center for Strategic and International Studies. "On the one hand, patience is running out, so there will be discussions on what point is being patient, too patient, and on the other hand, if North Korea does decide and come back with a date for the six-party talks, how we should organize ourselves and what to put on the table," he said. The six-party talks among the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China aimed at wooing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid have been stalled since June 2004. North Korea rejected a US aid-for-disarmament plan tabled at the third round of the China-hosted talks and refused to attend the fourth round scheduled in September, blaming what it called US hostility and insincerity. More than one year of informal consultations among the six parties has not led to any breakthrough for holding a new round of talks. Both the United States and North Korea, key parties in the multilateral talks, insist the ball is in the opponent's court. North Korea wants a clear message from the United States that it would drop its "policy of hostility" towards Pyongyang and revamp its disarmament plan before agreeing to return to the table. The United States, on the other hand, has refused to hold any discussions on its proposal if North Korea does not first return to the talks. "We have a proposal on the table which is robust and addresses various concerns. If the North Koreans give us a date and return to the talks, we are pleased to answer any questions," a US State Department official said on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. During her trip, Rice is expected to prod China to assert its influence over North Korea, and discuss with allies South Korea and Japan options available if North Korea refuses to fix a date for the next round of talks, analysts said. Among options being considered by the United States are referring North Korea to the UN Security Council and possible interdiction of vessels plying to and from North Korea under the Washington-led Proliferation Security Initiative. Rather than taking such moves, China and South Korea want the United States to show more flexibility to coerce North Korea back to the negotiations. Washington believes North Korea has one or two nuclear bombs and may have reprocessed enough plutonium for half a dozen more from spent fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear complex. The nuclear standoff flared in October 2002 when Washington accused Pyongyang of operating a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement. On February 10 this year, North Korea announced it had nuclear weapons. "The Bush administration wants all the parties talking to Pyongyang to say they are on the same page and send an unambiguous message to North Korea but China and South Korea do not want to upset the apple cart," one Asian diplomat said. Rare direct talks in New York last week between the US administration and a senior North Korean diplomat, Ri Gun, did not set the tone for any imminent announcement of a date for the new round of talks. "If that's the case, it's not exactly the end of the road but it's the beginning of the end of the road (that) is in sight -- in terms of when they are going to say: 'Well, okay the six-party process had failed and is not going anywhere so what are our options?'" said Fred Carriere, the executive director of the US-based Korea Foundation, and an old Korean hand.
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