BRUSSELS -- The six-party talks, which initially began in August 2003 to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, reconvened in Beijing on Nov. 9, then adjourned three days later inconclusively. Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory.
In September, at the end of the fourth round of the talks -- involving China, the United States, North and South Korea, Japan and Russia -- there appeared to be a breakthrough, as North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear development program in exchange for U.S. promises to rule out preemptive military action against it or attempts to promote regime change, and to provide a package of energy assistance and development aid to kick-start the economy.
The problem now is implementation, as U.S. neocons have once again played hardball and sabotaged the whole operation. U.S. financial sanctions and pressure on a Macau bank to end its dealings with Pyongyang were perceived as "spoiling the atmosphere" of the talks. Meanwhile, Washington and Pyongyang sparred over financial penalties and whether to negotiate a nuclear freeze or focus on full disarmament.