US presidential candidate Bill Richardson spent his first full day in North Korea Monday to try to recover the remains of American war dead, saying he believes the communist state wants a better relationship with Washington.
The visit by the New Mexico governor and other officials comes days before a deadline under a six-nation deal to dismantle the North's nuclear programmes, and amid confusion over whether that target will be met. The White House has said the trip by Richardson, accompanied by National Security Council Director for Asia Victor Cha among others, is separate from the six-party disarmament talks.
Richardson, who has undertaken five previous missions to Pyongyang, has also said he will not negotiate nuclear matters. But he expressed hope the North would honour its deal.
"I believe for the first time they do want to enter into an agreement with the six-party countries and they want a better relationship with the United States. They know that the key is dismantling their nuclear weapons," he told NBC news on his plane before arriving Sunday night. But he cautioned: "I have learned with the North Koreans, you don't know what they are going to do next. They are totally unpredictable."
The United States, China, the two Koreas, Russia and Japan reached an agreement on February 13 under which the North would disable its nuclear programmes in return for economic aid and diplomatic benefits. As a first step, it was to shut down and seal its reactor and other facilities at Yongbyon by April 14, invite in UN inspectors and receive an initial 50,000 tons of fuel oil.
But talks have been stymied by a row over 25 million dollars in North Korean funds frozen in a Macau bank at US instigation on suspicion they are linked to money-laundering and counterfeiting. The US has promised to unblock the funds to get the disarmament talks moving, but technical banking hurdles remain.
While the US said Friday a way had been found to transfer the funds, Seoul's Yonhap news agency quoted a source close to the talks as saying nothing has changed. South Korea's largest-circulation newspaper Chosun Ilbo also indicated Monday the dispute is not settled. A government official told the paper the North demands the money be transferred to another of its overseas bank accounts, "but there are too many difficulties in reality."
The official added: "The US and China insist that everything should be taken care of by the Macau authorities and North Korea." A diplomatic source told the paper that Washington and Beijing are suggesting that a separate account be created at the Macau bank from which North Korea could withdraw its money.
US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill was to leave on Sunday for Tokyo and later head to Seoul and Beijing in an apparent bid to restart talks. The delegation led by Richardson will on Wednesday visit the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom, where the soldiers' remains are to be transferred.
The team will then cross the border and head for a US army garrison in the Yongsan district of Seoul for a formal repatriation ceremony on Thursday. More than 33,000 US troops died in the 1950-1953 war and about 8,100 are listed as missing. Richardson has said the return of any remains would be a sign of progress in the relationship. In comments to NBC in Pyongyang he expressed optimism. "I have been informed that there will be some American remains delivered to us," he said.