The Black Vault - US Sees tough talks with North Korea

By GEORGE GEDDA - WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has no expectation of an early breakthrough from a six-nation meeting next week to discuss ways of dismantling North Korea (news - web sites)'s nuclear weapons programs.

A senior administration official, briefing reporters on Friday, said the talks in China will give North Korea an "important opportunity" to assure its neighbors about its intentions.

"Actions by North Korea that satisfactorily address concerns about its nuclear weapons could open the door to a new kind of relationship, certainly with the United States, and with other countries as well," the official said.

Starting Wednesday, officials from the United States, North Korea, South Korea (news - web sites), China, Japan and Russia will meet in a guest house in Beijing to discuss the North's intentions.

The discussions will be the first in what is expected to be a long process.

North Korea had held out for direct talks with the United States. But with a powerful assist from China, North Korea agreed to the six-nation format several weeks ago.

The U.S. official noted with the exception of the North, all the nations at the three-day meeting strongly favor a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Leading the U.S. delegation is Assistant Secretary James Kelly, who heads the State Department's East Asia bureau.

Reaffirming long-standing U.S. policy, the official said the United States is not prepared to offer pre-emptive concessions to North Korea in advance of the "complete and verifiable dismantling" of its nuclear program.

Left unanswered were questions about what type of security guarantees or economic benefits the United States is prepared to offer North Korea in exchange for disarmament.

Given North Korea's desperate economic situation, the administration believes the communist country will have a lot to gain by being flexible in the talks.

Should North Korea agree to disarm, verification is expected to be one of the thorniest issues, particularly given the low level of trust between the United States and North Korea.

North Korea has walked away from a number of international agreements in recent months, including its membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Some experts believe North Korea could produce five to six nuclear weapons in a few months in addition to the one or two it is thought already to possess.

The official said it was unclear how much reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods North Korea has carried out. This is a key step in the production of plutonium-based weapons.

Suggesting that time is on North Korea's side, the official said the administration is approaching the talks with a sense of urgency.

The official's description of the state of play as the discussions near was devoid of harsh anti-North Korean rhetoric.

This contrasted sharply with a speech in South Korea three weeks ago by Undersecretary of State John Bolton, who described North Korea as a "hellish nightmare" and denounced Chairman Kim Jong Il by name more than 40 times.

The administration has said that Bolton's remarks received prior clearance.

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