North Korea - Meetings in New York

Question:   Can you give us any additional information about New York channel meetings?

Answer:   Mr. Joseph DeTrani has met with North Korean representatives on a number of occasions, including in New York.

The New York channel is not a negotiating venue, and we are not seeking to resolve the nuclear issue – a matter of multilateral concern -- through bilateral negotiations with the DPRK. The Six Party Talks is the process that offers the best opportunity to resolve international concerns about North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons through diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials continue to maintain contact, including occasional face-to-face meetings from time to time, with officials from the DPRK UN Mission in New York – the so-called New York channel. Such meetings took place in New York on Tuesday, November 30 and Friday December 3. Either side may request such a meeting.

While we do not wish to discuss the specifics or get into details regarding our occasional exchanges, we did at these routine meetings last week indicate to the North Koreans – as we have repeatedly stated publicly – that we remain ready to resume the Six-Party Talks at an early date, without preconditions, and, as we do publicly, we called on North Korea to follow through on its commitment to continue with the Six-Party Talks.

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