Remarks at Dinner Hosted by Vice Foreign Minister Chun Young-woo

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen these reports. We’re going to Beijing at the end of this week to begin the talks. It’ll be on Thursday the 8^th. We’ve had a lot of consultations. We’ve spent a lot of time with the ROK government, and I’ll be off to Japan tomorrow, to Tokyo. We have some ideas for how to begin the implementation of the September statement, but I want to emphasize that we are not going to be able to complete the implementation of the September statement, we can only begin it.

So, what we’d like to see is to have a good beginning. We would like to get as many elements as possible. But the ultimate test, the ultimate task for us, is to complete denuclearization, not just to begin denuclearization. So we’re going to try to do the best we can.

We’ve done this on the basis of a lot of consultations, and we’ll see how we do in the negotiation. So, after the negotiations, I can respond better to questions like that.

Thank you very much.

QUESTION: Are you going to exchange energy in exchange for the nuclear reactor?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Again, I’m not going to discuss specific elements, except to say that the purpose is to begin the implementation of the September statement. And what we’re striving for – and frankly we cannot accept anything less than –[is] 100% implementation of the September statement. So that’s what we’re looking for. We won’t get it this month, but maybe we can have a good beginning.

So, thank you very much, and if I can just get on to my Korean restaurant, I’ll see you later.

[After dinner.]

QUESTION: Mr. Ambassador, the statement that you made in NHK today regarding the DPRK’s demand of moving a ½ million tons of crude. Can we understand, did DPRK actually make that demand?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No. I don’t know anything about that statement.

QUESTION: NHK announced that you --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, they must have misunderstood. I never said anything about that statement. NHK said something right? But, I didn’t.

QUESTION: Mr. Hill, did you say that you think the parties can talk about energy assistance for North Korea? Does that still stand? And has North Korea ever asked for any type of energy aid?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, yes. If you read the 19, 2005 statement, it does refer to the issue of energy and economic assistance. So, it’s in the September ’05 statement. Yes.

QUESTION: Do you plan on discussing the issue in the next round?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I don’t know. What we plan on doing is to try to make progress on implementing the September statement.

QUESTION: You said that the DPRK didn’t mention about heavy oil in Beijing-

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I did not have any discussion about heavy fuel oil. But in the September 19, 2005 statement there is a reference to economic assistance and to energy assistance.

QUESTION: Then, what, Mr. Ambassador, what is the stance of the U.S. Government on that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, our stance is that we want to implement the September 19^th statement, and we want to begin with a first tranche. We hope to make some progress this week. So I’ve just had a very good discussion with my friend and colleague here, Ambassador Chun Young-woo, and we’re discussing how we might approach the session on Thursday, and let’s see if we can make some progress.

QUESTION: Is it impossible to give heavy oil to the DPRK?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Look, I’m not going to get into specific elements of what might come up this week. What were interested in doing is implementing the statement, making a good first start, really a first step. And we have a lot of ground to cover. The September 19^th statement has many, many elements, and we hope to get going with it. But I’m not in a position to tell you what elements we would be discussing and what elements we would be waiting until later to discuss. All of these elements, everything in the September ’05 statement, need to be addressed sooner or later.

QUESTION: Sir, what are your thoughts about North Korea agreeing to what you have discussed in Berlin?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, again, I had some useful discussions with the DPRK in Berlin. These were discussions based on some earlier discussions I had with the ROK, and the Japanese, and also the other partners -- the Chinese and the Russians. So I think we have a basis for moving forward and a basis for meeting this week in Beijing, to begin the very difficult, but very necessary, process of implementing the September ’05 statement. We’ll have to see where we get, but the number one point in the September statement is the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. And we look to have a complete implementation of that. That means a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

QUESTION: Can you comment about the Japanese report that they cannot give support to giving North Korea energy?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, again, you’re talking about energy, but all I can tell you is that we’re talking about denuclearization. And so I’m not aware of what specifically you’re referring to in Japan. I’m going to Tokyo tomorrow. I look forward to discussions there with Kenichiro Sasae, and I know that the Japanese are working very hard to get ready for the next round of Six-Party Talks, which will take place very soon -- on Thursday.

QUESTION: Are you worried about the abduction issue clouding Japanese financing for any agreement?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, you know, I think the Japanese have a great concern about the abduction issue, and frankly, we all have concern about the abduction issue. We hope that Japan and the DPRK can resolve that. This is an issue of tremendous importance to the Japanese people. Anyone who visits Japan can feel the importance of this. And I know that whenever I’ve met with my Japanese counterpart Mr. Sasae, he has raised this and raised this in very strong and eloquent terms. So I think we all have a concern that there should be a resolution of this. This is a very deeply felt issue. It’s, frankly, a humanitarian issue for the families of these people who went missing. So I hope this can be addressed.

QUESTION: Is there any chance that the abduction issues will be discussed within the Six-Party framework?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think the Six-Party process is a very broad palate. We discuss many issues that pertain to continued instability in Northeast Asia. And we believe that the resolution of outstanding issues between Japan and the DPRK is a very necessary element in achieving the full implementation of the September ’05 statement. Indeed, if you read the September ’05 statement, you will see that there is a reference to the need for Japan and the DPRK to try to resolve these kinds of issues. So we absolutely want to see them resolved.

Okay. Thank you very much.

QUESTION: [inaudible]

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: You keep asking me about it, and I’m not sure I know what you mean by it, but I guess I’ll find out.

QUESTION: I heard that you interviewed with an NHK reporter this morning.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No. He must have really misunderstood. I said nothing on this. I think he said something. I said nothing on it. So, I think you ought to check the transcript, really. I think the guy maybe had some trouble with the language.

So, hey, gosh, I was hoping to get moving here. Okay, good to see you. See you in Beijing.