Remarks After Meeting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Song Min-soon

QUESTION: Did you get some signals from Pyongyang?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, first of all, I just had a very good meeting with Mr. Song Min-soon and also with my counterpart Ambassador Chun Young-woo. I think once again this was an example of the ROK and the U.S. working very closely, very well together.

We both have very positively assessed the decision of the Macau authorities to release all of the accounts in BDA. We think it was a correct decision. The United States has worked very closely with Macau SAR. We’ve also been in contact with the Chinese and with the DPRK on this decision. In fact, even before the U.S. announcement, where we welcomed the Macau decision, we had shown that announcement to the DPRK to make sure they were aware of this process. So I think we have come to a very important juncture, which is that we consider this BDA matter to be really resolved. The DPRK has access to their accounts. Now the DPRK needs to assess the information and presumably check with their bankers to see their access to the accounts.

We think now it is really an important time to get on with the ever urgent task of denuclearization -- in particular, get on with the implementation of this February agreement. I know that my colleague, Victor Cha, who has been with Governor Richardson and former Secretary Principi, has had some discussions in Pyongyang. So I’m looking forward to seeing him and getting a debriefing on those discussions. It’s our hope that the DPRK will understand the need to move ahead with denuclearization.

Obviously, denuclearization is going to be a process that takes several phases. As you know this February agreement is just the first of several phases, but it is really time that we get going with it.

QUESTION: Now that the BDA issue is resolved, how long before we see IAEA inspectors in North Korea?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Our understanding is that in their meetings with the Governor Richardson-former Secretary Principi delegation the DPRK indicated that once they see that the BDA matter is resolved, they would move very quickly to implement their actions as required in the February agreement. So I would hope that this would happen in a matter of days.

QUESTION: With just initial actions, initial signs, just small signs of the Yongbyong reactor shutting down, would that suffice for the five parties to move on with the energy cooperation? For example, South Korea sending, shipping off fuels ASAP?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: You’re asking now about the essence of the February agreement. A key element of the February agreement is the shutdown of the reprocessing facility and the shutdown of the reactor. It’s the reactor and the reprocessing facility that produce plutonium that can be used for weapons. So we indeed feel that’s an important thing to get stopped. Moving beyond, we will look to disable the facilities and eventually to have them abandoned pursuant to the September 2005 Agreement. It’s a long road, but it begins with the first step, and that step is to shut these facilities down.

QUESTION: Are you sure that Mr. Cha brings North Korea’s message today?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I don’t know. I think he’s coming through Panmunjom, so we’ll have a conversation with him. We talked several times on the telephone last night. He was staying in a DPRK government facility that seemed to have a good telephone connection when it was working. I know he’s had some discussions, and I look forward to a fuller briefing when he gets here today.

QUESTION: Is North Korea showing any indications that it would consider the BDA issue resolved and it has access to the money at the bank?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I’m listening to the radio over here. Could you turn that off? Thank you. I’m sorry, are they --

QUESTION: Is North Korea showing any indication that it would consider the BDA issue resolved, as you hoped?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: You know, that’s obviously the key question. I think we’re going to find that out in the next day or so. This was all very new information that took place last night – that was revealed last night. We really very much welcome the decision of the Macau authorities. We support that decision. In fact, for the United States this has been a very important time in our working with the Macau authorities very closely. And we look forward to further work with them, as there is more and more U.S. investment going to Macau. But this is all very new. So let’s see what the North Koreans do today.

QUESTION: Will you be officially extending the 60 day deadline?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No, we’re not there yet. We need to get on to this stage, as I mentioned to you. We need to get the IAEA involved now. So let’s see how we do in this coming few hours. Yesterday at this time we did not have this BDA matter resolved. Today we do. I think that was a very welcome development.

It was a very good opportunity here to once again brief the Chinese authorities. We have worked very closely with them over the past few weeks on this. We’ll continue to work very closely with the Beijing central authorities on all this. I had a very good meeting last night with Mr. Wu Dawei, and we’ll continue to be in very close contact with them. So let’s see how we do today.

MR. CHOI: Thank you very much. We’re going to move on. Thank you.