Korea talks collapse in setback for nuclear dialogue

[Guest guest]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110209/wl_nm/us_korea_north

Korea talks " collapse " in setback for nuclear dialogue

By ce and Cho Mee-young ce And Cho Mee-young – 2 hrs

57 mins ago

SEOUL (Reuters) – Military talks between the rival Koreas have collapsed, a

unification ministry official in Seoul said on Wednesday, dealing a setback to

efforts to restart international aid-for-disarmament talks.

Tensions have eased on the divided peninsula since the start of the year, with

both sides calling for dialogue, raising hopes the neighbors could rebuild

relations shattered over the past two years by a series of deadly attacks and

failed nuclear talks.

Colonels from the two Koreas, still technically at war since their 1950-53 civil

conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, talked for two days but failed to get

past the first hurdle of the preliminary meeting -- setting the agenda for

senior discussions.

" The talks have collapsed; they haven't even agreed on a date for their next

meeting, " the official told Reuters, referring to the first meeting since the

North's attack on the southern island of Yeonpyeong in November, which killed

four people and raised the threat of possible all-out war.

The South's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the North's

representatives had " unilaterally walked out of the meeting room. "

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan called news of the walkout

unfortunate and said the United States had actively encouraged dialogue between

the two Koreas as a way to reduce tensions on the peninsula.

" We are hopeful they can work out whatever differences there were and resume

talks as soon as possible, " Lapan said.

Seoul said the offer for senior-level military talks still stood, but on the

condition the North " takes responsible steps regarding " last year's attacks, a

ministry official said.

The talks also became bogged down over the procedural issue of what rank any

senior talks would take, with the South demanding either a ministerial or

four-star general confab while North insisted on vice-ministerial dialogue.

While the failed talks underline the deep divisions and distrust between the

rivals, analysts said they were hardly surprised and that any talks would follow

a stop-start pattern.

" I thought it would take some time due to a gap in views of the both, " said Park

Syung-je, an expert at the Asia Strategy Institute. " Next time ahead of talks,

South Korea should check if North Korea truly wants them. "

Tensions rose on the divided peninsula last year when 46 South Korean sailors

were killed in an attack on a naval vessel. North Korea, which denies

responsibility for that attack, also revealed major advances in its nuclear

programme in November.

Beijing and Washington had set inter-Korean dialogue as a prerequisite to

restart six-party talks which offer the North aid and diplomatic recognition in

return for disabling its nuclear arms program. Tokyo and Moscow are the other

six-party members.

The North has said it wants to return to the broader negotiations, but Seoul and

Washington have questioned its sincerity about denuclearizing -- pointing to its

revelations about a uranium-enrichment programme.

" Without having the bilateral talks between the two Koreas, holding six-party

talks also looks unclear now, " said Kim Seung-hwan of the Center for Strategic

and International Studies.

The North quit the six-way talks in 2009, declaring the process dead, in protest

against U.N. sanctions for conducting nuclear and missile tests.

The North's shelling of Yeonpyeong, the first attack against civilians on South

Korean soil since the Korean War, set off a wave of war-like rhetoric that

worried financial markets in a region home to one-sixth of the world's economy.

Under pressure from their main allies, the United States and China, the

neighbors have stopped their combative language and reopened a hotline at their

border.

And the two sides showed some signs of cooperation on Wednesday, with Seoul

sending a telegram to Pyongyang saying it was ready to discuss humanitarian

issues.

During the preliminary military talks this week, the South demanded the North

acknowledge its role in shelling of Yeonpyeong and the attack on the vessel, the

defense ministry said.

North Korea repeated that it was not responsible for the sinking the naval

vessel and blamed the Yeonpyeong attack on the South's live-fire drills in

disputed waters.

(Additional reporting by Kim Yeonhee in Seoul and Phil in Washington;

Editing by Nick Macfie)

[Guest guest]

These talks have been dragging on for decades now. The more I read, the more it seems like the North Korean military is a tattered force. It isn't likely to win against the South Koreans, but it could cause a panic with an attack and its conventional artillery could still do damage to Seoul. Then again, they have been researching chemical and biological weapons so depending on the delivery system they have that could be a problem.

In a message dated 2/9/2011 5:27:32 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, no_reply writes:

Military talks between the rival Koreas have collapsed, a unification ministry official in Seoul said on Wednesday, dealing a setback to efforts to restart international aid-for-disarmament talks.