U.S., China mull warning N.Korea against nuclear test http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-09-06T031935Z_01_BJB000032_RTRUKOC_0_US-KOREA-NORTH-WARNING.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C3-worldNews-3
Tue Sep 5, 2006
BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States have discussed warning North Korea against conducting a nuclear test, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said in Beijing on Wednesday.
"We talked about the need to make very clear to the DPRK that this would a very, very unwelcome development," Hill told reporters after meeting Wu Dawei, China's chief diplomat in charge of negotiations with North Korea. The Communist state's official title is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities have detected suspicious vehicle movement in and out of North Korea's major missile test site, according to Yonhap, a South Korean news agency, but a Seoul government official played down the report.
"We did not get into any discussion about what may or may not be clear signals on the ground, but we certainly discussed the danger that the DPRK could take additional provocative steps," Hill said, referring to the possibility of a nuclear test.
China is North Korea's neighbor and long-time Communist ally, and provides crucial economic and energy support.
But after Pyongyang test-fired a series of missiles on July 5 despite a public plea from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Beijing gave crucial backing to a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the reclusive state.
Pyongyang is continuing to boycott six-party talks, hosted by China, which are aimed at coaxing it to scrap its nuclear ambitions. The talks, which also include the United States, South Korea, Japan and Russia, have been dormant since last November.
Pyongyang refuses to return to the negotiating table until Washington lifts financial restrictions imposed after claims that North Korea counterfeited U.S. money and traded illegal drugs.
Hill said he had discussed financial restrictions on North Korea in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolution 1695, passed in the wake of the missile tests, but he did not provide details.
"I made very clear that the U.S. would be pursuing our obligations under 1695 which provide for a very clear framework for looking for appropriate measures to ... exercise vigilance."
"That is a clear part of 1695. The other part is to call the DPRK to return to the six-party talks and they haven't done that, so there's another example of the DPRK's non-compliance.
Hill said he had discussed with Wu China's implementation of the resolution, and described Beijing's response as "positive", but provided no details. "China understands that the U.N. Security Council resolution needs to be fully implemented," Hill said.
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