Interview with NHK

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your time. We all know you don't talk about the specific things that you will expect at the upcoming talks in Beijing, but we were curious about whether you have a concrete picture on what kind of agreement or breakthrough you can get, possibly from the North Korean side. So could you just explain that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, you know we do have a concrete picture, because we have this agreement in September 2005 – a long time ago. I mean it's 18 months ago now, and nothing has been implemented. So what we hope to do, finally, is to begin to implement the September 2005 statement. But as we begin to implement, it's just going to be one or two steps of implementation. We have many, many steps to go after that. So the picture I have is of the beginning of implementation, a couple of steps, trying to move quickly through that, and then trying to get on to the next phase of implementation. So I really see this initial step as just that -- an initial step. And were we to stop after this step – were we to have another 18-month period of nothing being done – well, I think frankly our process would be in big trouble if that were the case.

QUESTION: So what part of the agreement in your statement in September 2005 can you be satisfied with if the North Korean side says something positive about that at the upcoming talks?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: But I thought you told me you knew I wasn't going to discuss specifics from the statements? So I think I have trouble telling you what part of the statement. But let me just say, as a general concept, we need to get going on the process of denuclearization. We need to get them to get out of this business, to stop producing this plutonium and get on with the task of getting rid of what they've done. So denuclearization has to be the key part that we are really focusing on.

QUESTION: China, you know, they said last night that they expected some – they have some possibly, they see some possibility of getting a breakthrough on the energy assistance. So they talk about that specifically.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, you know, I have trouble with the idea that there's a breakthrough on energy. I mean, the North Koreans would take energy assistance anytime, so there's no need for a breakthrough there. The breakthrough needs to be on the other side, on getting them to start the process of denuclearization. I mean, as we sit here – as we sit here today in Tokyo – they are running a reactor for the purpose of making weapons-grade plutonium. So every minute that we have this interview, they are making the problem worse. So we have to get that stopped and then get on with the task of denuclearization. Now all of this other stuff, you know – energy and things like that – that's all envisioned in the September statement. But nothing's going to be possible without steps toward denuclearization.

QUESTION: Do you think that the Japanese Government can't agree with any kind of breakthrough once you get to the upcoming talks without any progress on the abductees issues?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think everybody knows that the abductee issue is a big issue for Japan, and of course it should be a big issue for Japan. I mean, it's a very shocking thing that people were taken from their daily lives and abducted, with no information for years and years. So obviously it's a big issue for Japan, and so Japan needs to have a mechanism for dealing with that and figuring out what happened. I think everyone understands that. And if you look carefully at the September 2005 statement, you'll see it's envisioned that there's a bilateral process for Japan and North Korea to begin to deal with their outstanding issues. And obviously abductions are part of this.

QUESTION: My friend from the Chinese diplomats, he just mentioned some dissatisfaction over the Japanese Government, you know, insisting on something on the abductees issues. They just always complain that that's an obstacle for the further progress on the Six-Party Talks. So I see some gaps in the perception between Japan and other countries. So how can you just persuade the Japanese Government?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, you know, I don't know who your friends are in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry people I talked to understand that this is a big issue for Japan, and the Japanese Government cannot ignore this issue. So I think the Chinese try to look at these problems with a sense of realism, and the reality is it's an issue. So we'll see what we can do.

I think what's important is to try to create a mechanism where you can sit down with the North Koreans. I mean, the Japanese Government can sit down with the North Koreans and begin to have some discussion about this. You know, the Six-Party Talks – it's a very broad platform, and we can launch several initiatives off of this platform. There are a number of initiatives, for example U.S.-North Korea bilateral issues can be addressed through the Six-Party process. In fact, if we can get through denuclearization, and if we can get that implemented and moving forward, we can also look at the very important task for the Korean people, on the Korean Peninsula, to see how they can begin to deal with the problem of replacing the armistice with a peace treaty.

So I think the Six-Party process is intended to be a broad platform to deal with many elements that have contributed over the years toward instability in this part of the world.

QUESTION: Have you heard any indication from the DPRK about any possibility of progress on the abductee issue?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, you know they are tough to deal with on this, and they have their own views on this. You know, my point to them is that they have to figure out a way to get along with the world's second-largest economy, which by the way, is right in their neighborhood. And I have tried to explain to the DPRK, you know, that they think nuclear weapons will protect them, and in fact nuclear weapons will cause problems for them – serious problems for them, create expenses for them. What the North Koreans need to see is that what will protect them are good relations with their neighbors and a growing economy. And I think to accomplish that, they need to reach out and figure out a way to deal with Japan.

QUESTION: You are going to meet many, many politicians, leaders in Japan today, I think --- somewhat unusual, compared to your visits in the past. So what would be your message for them?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think it's first of all a very important session of the Six-Party Talks. So I thought it was important to spend a little more time here in Japan -- and not one night but two nights -- and to really take more time to listen to more people. It's not just my message to people. I want to hear what senior leadership here, various people from the Foreign Ministry, from the prime minister's office – I want to hear their views on how they see the situation. You know, the United States is very proud of the very good relationship we have with Japan. It's an alliance, but even more fundamentally our peoples, I think, have a real sense of being close today. And part of that process is for us to come here and listen. So a lot of what I'm going to do is listen to the views that the Japanese people have as we go forward to Beijing to what I hope will be an important session.

QUESTION: Vice Foreign Minister Yachi said yesterday that the Japanese Government will not agree with paying for the energy assistance without progress on the abductee issue. So are you confident that you can persuade them?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, we're dealing with North Korea, so you shouldn't be confident of anything. But what I'm confident of is I'll do my best. And what I'm confident about is I will work very closely with my Japanese counterpart to make sure that we can make progress, and we know what we need to do in order to make progress.

QUESTION: You always say that now you have good reasons for expecting some progress at the upcoming talks. Where does it come from? Is there any assurance like some letters signed by Mr. Kim Jong Il or any list for both the U.S. and DPRK's demands on the bilateral relationship?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, as I say, just like a baseball player can be confident about the game but he can't predict the score, so I'm confident that we're well prepared. I'm confident that we have done the correct amount of consultation. We had a good consultation opportunity with the North Koreans in Berlin, and, by the way, two weeks before that, I met with Sasae-san in Washington. We talked about meeting – that I would meet with the North Koreans before the next session. We talked about precisely the elements that I would talk about with them. So after I met with Sasae-san in Washington, then I went off and did see the North Koreans, and then after that I came back here. And so we had had a good conversation about the various elements that we feel need to be in an initial – and I want to stress it's just a first tranche; it's not the whole deal, but just an initial tranche. So I think we have some reason to believe that we might be able to make progress. But no, I'm not willing to predict the score of the game. We have to actually play the game, and that doesn't come until we get to Beijing.

QUESTION: You said that a new working group will be added to the existing five groups. That is the so-called peace regime that will aim to dissolve the war situation after the Korean War. Are you aware of that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think we have always been very interested in the provision in the September statement that refers to the idea of getting relevant parties together. Now "relevant parties" doesn't mean the six parties, you know. So the peace regime, to the extent that we can look at a peace mechanism and replace this armistice with a peace mechanism, that has to be worked out among the relevant parties. Obviously the Republic of Korea has a great interest in this. I mean, if you can imagine being Korean and looking at your country with a line drawn across the middle -- that is, on the 38th parallel -- it's a very difficult thing to stand; I mean emotionally. It's very difficult for people. This means a lot to the Korean people. So I hope that something can be done in that regard. But you know the real task is denuclearization, because if we get denuclearization, many of these tasks are going to be possible. We're going to have a new momentum, a new process, and if we don't get denuclearization, it's going to all be very difficult.

QUESTION: I just asked that because if that group is going to be added, you know, obviously Japan and Russia will be excluded from the group.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, it's not a Six-Party group. It's among relevant partners, and that has to be determined. But it's the Korean Peninsula issue, so this is not a Six-Party process. But I wouldn't worry; I think there's a lot in that Six-Party process that Japan can and will be involved with.

QUESTION: My last question is about financial measures. You know, the people who met you last night said you took some time to explain about the status quo or the financial measures. Is there any room for you to ask the Japanese Government to just solve this problem over this matter? You know, as soon as possible?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well I think the issue that has come up from the North Korean side is the issue relating to a bank in Macau, and specifically relating to North Korean accounts in a bank in Macau. So I don't think this is one that involves Japan necessarily.

You know, we've told the North Koreans that as long as they are engaged in making weapons of mass destruction, as long as they are engaged in illicit activities, they should not be surprised that people are having a very careful look at what they're doing in the financial sector. And this careful look is not just going to happen in one place or two places. It's going to be all over the world. And so that's another cost associated with the weapons of mass destruction. That is, as long as the DPRK is trying to develop these weapons, they should not be surprised that we're looking for ways to cause problems for the development – cause problems in the financing, causing problems also in their acquiring the technology. Indeed, this is part of the UN Security Council resolution, which still stands and will remain.

So I think the DPRK needs to understand it has a path that can lead to many destinations, and that's denuclearization. And then it has another road of maintaining these weapons, and I think they'll see that that is a road that leads nowhere.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

QUESTION: Let me make a follow-up question about the abductee issue. Since you came to Japan, you mentioned several times a mechanism by which Japan can talk with the DPRK on the abductee issue. Let me clarify the meaning of "mechanism." Is it something like what you're trying to create in the upcoming Six-Party Talks? I mean, a subcommittee or working group?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, again, I don't want to get too specific, which is why I used a very unspecific word like "mechanism," but I will say that this is a big issue in Japan. I know this. I hear about this every day from my counterpart, Ken Sasae. I know the importance of this issue, and this issue attaches a certain reality. I mean it creates a certain reality for how we can proceed in the Six-Party process, which involves of course not only denuclearization but other elements there that are intended – that once we get denuclearization, that we bring the DPRK, North Korea, into the international, into the world, really. And so clearly we need some ability to deal with some of these problems. So we need to find a mechanism.

Now, whether it's a working group, whether it's something like that, you know, we'll see what can be arrived at. But the reality is this problem needs to be addressed if we are going to create a situation in Northeast Asia where this region can prosper. It already is prospering economically, and it needs to prosper politically as well.

QUESTION: Is there any indication or signal that the DPRK is willing to talk about this abductee issue?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I must say – I'm not prepared to tell you whether there's a signal or not a signal. I can certainly tell you that I've raised the issue, and I know other delegations have raised the issue. So I think the North Koreans are under no illusion that this is not an issue -- It's an issue that is felt very strongly not only by the Japanese Government, but by the Japanese people as well. So they've heard that from a number of us. And so let's hope that we can find something that will really create some new possibilities for, first of all, helping the families of these abductees, helping the families deal with – at least so those families can know what happened, whether that's good news or tragic news, at least so they know what happened. And then let's see if we can look forward to the day where we can create a situation where states in the region can address their bilateral problems and can prosper in the future.

QUESTION: You may know Ms. Sakie Yokota. She's the mother of one of the abductees. When she met with President Bush, Mr. Bush promised to help her, and also he expressed great concern, great sympathy to her. So I'm just wondering what sort of help or assistance we can expect from the Bush administration to solve this issue?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, in fact I was in President Bush's office when he met with her. And the President has often described, not only to Japanese audiences but also with American audiences and other audiences, how moved he was by the situation. He was quite emotional about the situation – very sincere reaction to this very, very tragic situation. So there's no question he would like to help. And it's one of the reasons that when I have addressed the issues that we're dealing with in the Six-Party Talks with the North Koreans, I've raised this issue. We have tried to put this issue in a way that we can look for, as I said, a mechanism for trying to find some resolution. It's not an easy issue. If it were easy, it would have been solved. It's not easy. But what I can assure you is that the President continues to be very much seized with this, very much wanting to find if there's a solution we can work on together.

QUESTION: OK, thank you very much.