More cooperation

Meanwhile, cooperation between South Korea and North Korea is recovering. The 20th ministerial meeting between the two countries was held on February 28 in Pyongyang after a seven-month hiatus. The previous meeting was broken off because of quarrels over North Korea's missile test. This meeting made good progress. According to the joint press communique released after the meeting, the two sides are making efforts to realize the normalization of the ties between North Korea and South Korea. They said they would further promote bilateral ties, resolve all issues through negotiation and take practical steps to achieve peace and solidarity. They decided to resume contacts and meetings through multiple channels, and also agreed to enhance the system of meetings for separated families.

On February 25, Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma and visiting South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang Soo held a regular meeting. They stressed that the two countries will strengthen cooperation to enforce agreements on the North Korean nuclear issue, which showed their positive attitude toward implementing the "initial actions" plan.

Moreover, Australia maintained active involvement with North Korea. On March 11-15, a high-ranking delegation of Australian diplomats visited North Korea. Besides the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the two sides also discussed how to remold their diplomatic relations.

The Australian delegation said after the visit that North Korea reiterated the nuclear abandonment promises it made during the six-party talks and said it would shut down the nuclear plant in Yongbyon before the mid-April deadline set in the "initial actions" document, as long as the other five parties fulfill their commitments, such as offering emergency energy aid. Australia said it would provide aid to North Korea if the latter abandons its nuclear program.

The six-party talks are considered an effective mechanism to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through negotiations. However, difficulties still exist. Disputes remain between North Korea and the United States on how to implement the "initial actions" program. Consensus on the frozen funds of the North Korea was not reached. The date for the next phase of talks has not yet been set. In spite of some constructive interactions among related parties, it seems there is still a long way to go to implement the joint statement.  

The author is director of Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies