It Makes a Difference to the Sheep

SIX-PARTY TALKS SET FOR FEBRUARY.

After a five-month tug-of-war with the United States, North Korea has finally agreed starting Feb. 25 in Beijing to rejoin six-party talks on its nuclear weapons threat, North Korean broadcasts said yesterday.

The North's agreement to attend the second round of the nuclear talks with South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia follows a flurry of diplomatic contacts among the countries after their first gathering in Beijing in August.

Will they accomplish anything? Here's what "experts" say:

Experts here said the resumption of the talks indicate meaningful progress in international efforts to resolve the 15-month nuclear dispute but the outcome would depend on the North's willingness to allow international inspection of its nuclear weapons programs and to dismantle them.

...

Another expert was cautious on the prospect for the talks, saying the outcome hinges on North Korea's attitude.

"For the United States, the bottom line is that North Korea agrees to allow relevant countries to verify its uranium-based nuclear weapons program and freeze its plutonium-based nuclear facilities," said Prof. Kim Sung-han of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

The ongoing dispute erupted when U.S. officials said the North admitted in October 2002to having a new nuclear program using highly enriched uranium. But the North recently denied this.

"The talks will go smoothly if Pyongyang is ready to reveal the uranium program, but if it continues deny it, the talks will be ruptured," Kim said.

And then there's this useful nugget of information:

DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.