Senior diplomats from South Korea, the United States and Japan have agreed that North Korea should first show a clear commitment to give up its atomic weapons programs before the resumption f six-party nuclear talks, an official said Wednesday.
The agreement was reached at a meeting Tuesday between Seoul's chief nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell
and Japanese nuclear negotiator Akitaka Saiki, a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The meeting came as North Korea has been making a series of conciliatory gestures after the U.N. Security Council issued a relatively mild rebuke over the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan.
Pyongyang has since expressed its willingness to return to the stalled nuclear talks despite previously boycotting them and vowing never to rejoin the forum involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the U.S.
"The common view now is that North Korea's attitude on the Cheonan issue has not changed, and as to denuclearization, North Korea has not changed on fundamental issues," the official said, adding that even if the nuclear talks,
which have been stalled since late 2008, are reconvened, chances are slim that progress will be made.
"We've agreed that for now, it is not urgent to resume dialogue and what is important is to ensure North Korea's denuclearization intent clearly."
Tuesday's meeting came as U.S. officials handling Korea issues have been in Seoul for high-level security talks with the South. The unprecedented "two- plus-two" talks, set for later Wednesday, bring together U.S. Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and their South Korean counterparts -- Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and Defense Minister Kim Tae -young.
The ministry official also said that Washington is in the final stage of
reviewing financial and other sanctions to impose on North Korea over the sinking that left 46 sailors dead. He did not elaborate on the details,
including when the fresh sanctions will be announced.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan are key partners in the six-nation nuclear talks. Diplomats from the three nations often meet to discuss strategy in dealing with North Korea.