U.S., DPRK agree on need to resume six-party talks: Bosworth

SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special envoy to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said Thursday that the U.S. and the DPRK reached a common understanding on the need for resuming the six-party talks and implementing the Joint Statement of September 2005.

WHAT CAME OUT OF U.S.-DPRK DIALOGUE

Wrapping up his three-day trip to Pyongyang, Bosworth held a press conference in Seoul, calling the trip "very useful" in that he was able to exchange views in a "candid, business-like" way.

The discussions, held within the framework of the six-party talks, were focused on the way to move forward on the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and implementation of the other elements of the Joint Statement of September 2005, Bosworth said.

Having held talks with DPRK's First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, the U.S. envoy said he communicated to the officials U.S. President Barack Obama's view that "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the fundamental undertaking of the six-party talks, if resumed."

"It remains to be seen when and how the DPRK will return to the six-party talks," he said, adding that the issue will require further consultations among six members of the talks.

"We discussed all of the elements of the Sept. 19 2005 statement and as we're all aware in that statement, there is a commitment by all six parties to move ahead on a peace regime for the Korean Peninsula to replace an armistice," he said.

"So once we have been able to reconvene the six-party talks and begin to gain significant traction on the issue of denuclearization, I would expect that we will all be prepared to discuss the evolution of a negotiation for a peace regime for the Korean Peninsula," he added.

Bosworth's meeting with DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il, however, was not realized, as the U.S. did not ask for it, Bosworth said.

Nor did he carry a special message from President Obama, he added.

Other sensitive issues, such as the DPRK's uranium enrichment and the inter-Korean summit, were not brought up during the talks, the U.S. envoy told the press, when inquired.

According to the U.S. envoy, his trip to Pyongyang was made in purpose of facilitating the resumption of the six-party denuclearization talks, as well as reaffirming the goal of fully implementing the Joint Statement of September 2005.

"It is important to point out that these were exploratory talks, not negotiations. It is certainly our hope, based on these discussions in Pyongyang, that the six-party talks can resume expeditiously and that we can get back to the important work of denuclearization," he said.

The two sides, however, did not come up with a follow-up bilateral meeting, Bosworth said when inquired whether there was a discussion on the timing and the level of additional meetings.