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Availability With Russian Dep Foreign Minister

Press Availability With Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Borodavkin

Stephen W. Bosworth
Special Representative for North Korea Policy

Moscow, Russia

December 14, 2009

DEPUTY MINISTER BORODAVKIN: Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Bosworth and I conducted very fruitful consultations and we have a lot of points of conversion and very close positions on many aspects of the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula. The consultations that we have just held were held in a very sincere and trust-based atmosphere. We discussed all the main issues of the problem and Mr. Bosworth informed me of his recent visit to Pyongyang about the outcome of his consultations with North Korean representatives. I’m satisfied that Pyongyang reaffirmed its commitment to the declaration, statement of September 19, 2005, on the demilitarization of the Korean Peninsula, which is a fundamental document for the Six-Party Talks. We also discussed the possibility to refuel the Six-Party process, and, once again, I stated my satisfaction that North Korea is committed to discussing this process and we have, once again, very close and common positions on many aspects.

AMBASSADOR BOSWORTH: Thank you very much. First of all, let me express my appreciation to Vice Minister Borodavkin for his hospitality and for the very productive and useful talks that we have just held. As was indicated, we came away from our talks in Pyongyang encouraged by the atmosphere, which was very reasonable and business-like exchanges of the views were candid, and encouraged by the fact that the DPRK representatives reiterated their view of the importance of the Six-Party Talks and of their commitment to the Joint Statement of September 2005. The United States values very highly the degree of common coordination and cooperation that we have been able to establish with regard to the Six-Party process with our partners and the common commitment that we all have to resume these important negotiations as rapidly as possible. So I am very grateful to have the opportunity first this morning to brief Foreign Minister Lavrov on the results of our consultations in Pyongyang and then importantly to have detailed consultations with Vice Minister Borodavkin as we begin to formulate, continue to formulate, our coordinated positions going forward. Thank you.

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QUESTION: RIA Novosti, Ivan Zakharchenko. Ambassador Bosworth, is your country ready to sign a peace treaty with DPRK?

AMBASSADOR BOSWORTH: My country, like the other five countries participating in the Six-Party Talks, are already committed to negotiate toward the establishment of the peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula -- that’s part of the joint statement. But as I pointed out in Pyongyang, one of the fundamental requirements of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula will be the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

QUESTION: AFP [inaudible]… Do you have any timeline for the return to the Six-Party Talks and do you have any plans for further bilateral consultations between the United States and North Korea?

AMBASSADOR BOSWORTH: As to timelines – we do not have timelines. I would only say that we and our partners in this process very much want to resume our work as soon as possible. We are prepared to do that and I know that the other countries are as well. Timelines are something that we can begin to elaborate on once we get back to the table. On the subject of further bilateral talks - I was asked in Seoul whether we’d talked about further bilateral talks. And the answer I gave remains the answer I give today, which is “no.” We are willing and have agreed to stay in touch with one another through our normal channel we refer to as the New York channel, which is the DPRK Mission to the United Nations.

QUESTION: Japanese public television, NHK, I have a question for both representatives. First of all, how would you comment on the detention of a cargo airplane that was detained in Thailand with the shipment of weapons from North Korea?

DEPUTY MINISTER BORODAVKIN: First of all, I would like to once again express my satisfaction with the fact that the sanctions established by the UN Security Council Resolution 1874 - as shows the example of this detained airplane - do really work, and as regards some problems on this issue of the plane I think that a special investigation should be conducted into the case and the Thai authorities should communicate all the information to the relevant sanctions committee of the United Nations, and this sanctions committee should analyze the case and then present a report to the Security Council. This is the procedure that we currently have, and I would also like to add that sanctions procedures and approaches adopted and applied by the Security Council, as shows the example of this attempt to export weapons from North Korea, really work, and such attempts to export weapons have no future.

AMBASSADOR BOSWORTH: I would simply endorse very strongly Minister Borodavkin’s assessment of this. I agree that we do not yet have the facts. It is important that the established international processes be used to establish the facts. I would also like to add that this recent incident again confirms the efficacy and importance of the action which the international community came together in agreement on in UN Security Council through Resolution 1874.

ENDS

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