NORTH KOREA TELLS ITALY U/S BOLTON SHOULD NOT

S E C R E T ROME 003570 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/05/2013 TAGS: PREL PARM KN IT UN SUBJECT: NORTH KOREA TELLS ITALY U/S BOLTON SHOULD NOT ATTEND SIX-PARTY TALKS CLASSIFIED BY: DCM EMIL SKODON FOR REASONS 1.5(B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: DPRK AMBASSADOR TO ITALY CHOE TAEK-SAN REQUESTED ITALY SUPPORT NORTH KOREA'S DEMAND THAT U/S BOLTON NOT ATTEND UPCOMING SIX-PARTY TALKS. HE ALSO MENTIONED NORTH KOREA DID NOT CURRENTLY POSSESS A NUCLEAR BOMB, ALTHOUGH CONTINUED U.S. AGGRESSION WOULD FORCE IT TO CREATE ONE. THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT REJECTED HIS REQUEST AND EMPHASIZED NORTH KOREA HAD NO NEED FOR A NUCLEAR BOMB. END SUMMARY ¶2. (S) MFA DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR EAST ASIA PAOLA MUNZI GAVE POLOFF A READOUT AUGUST 5 OF A CONVERSATION WITH NORTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR CHOE TAEK-SAN EARLIER IN THE DAY. THE AMBASSADOR POPPED-IN UNEXPECTEDLY TO DISCUSS THE PLANNED SIX-PARTY TALKS. ACCORDING TO MUNZI, THE AMBASSADOR FIRST CREDITED THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT FOR PROPOSING THE TALKS AND THEIR FORMAT, AND THEN REQUESTED ITALIAN SUPPORT FOR NORTH KOREA'S DEMAND THAT U/S BOLTON NOT ATTEND. AMBASSADOR CHOE EXPLAINED THAT THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN OFFENDED BY U/S BOLTON'S RECENT SPEECH IN SEOUL AND COULD NOT BEAR THE HUMILIATION IF HE WAS PRESENT AT THE TALKS. CHOE ALSO TOLD MUNZI NORTH KOREA DID NOT YET HAVE A NUCLEAR BOMB, BUT DID HAVE MATERIAL AT HAND TO ASSEMBLE ONE AND WOULD FEEL OBLIGATED TO DO SO IF THE U.S. CONTINUED TO THREATEN NORTH KOREA. ¶3. (S) CHOE REPORTEDLY TOLD MUNZI THE DPRK DESIRED A DENUCLEARIZED KOREAN PENINSULA, WITH NO AMERICAN STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN SOUTH KOREA. THE AMBASSADOR ALSO SUGGESTED THE U.S. SHOULD REFRAIN FROM CARRYING OUT ANY MILITARY EXERCISES OR SENDING ADDITIONAL PLANES TO SOUTH KOREA IN ADVANCE OF THE TALKS, AS MILITARY ACTIONS BY THE U.S. COULD PREJUDICE THE OUTCOME. CHOE THEN REITERATED THAT U/S BOLTON'S PARTICIPATION WOULD ALSO CREATE AN UNFAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. ¶4. (S) MUNZI TOLD THE AMBASSADOR THAT THE DPRK COULD NOT CHOOSE WHO WOULD SIT IN THE U.S. DELEGATION, AS THE INDIVIDUAL GOVERNMENTS WOULD SET THE NEGOTIATING TEAMS. SHE ALSO QUESTIONED THE DPRK'S NEED FOR NUCLEAR WEAPONS, NOTING NORTH KOREA'S LARGE ARMY PROVIDED ASSURANCE THAT NO ONE WOULD ATTACK. SHOULD ANYONE BE SO FOOLISH AS TO DO SO ANYWAY, DPRK ARTILLERY COULD DESTROY SEOUL. MUNZI SAID AMBASSADOR CHOE AVOIDED DISCUSSING THE ARMY AND REITERATED THAT THE DPRK WAS VERY WILLING TO NEGOTIATE IF U/S BOLTON WAS NOT AT THE TALKS. MUNZI DESCRIBED THE AMBASSADOR AS ALMOST MAKING THE TALKS CONTINGENT ON U/S BOLTON'S (NON)-PARTICIPATION, BUT NEVER EXPRESSLY SAYING IT WAS A REDLINE. ¶5. (S) AMBASSADOR CHOE TOLD MUNZI RELATIONS BETWEEN SOUTH AND NORTH KOREA HAD COOLED RECENTLY, AND THE APPARENT SUICIDE OF HYUNDAI HEIR CHUNG MONG-HUN WAS PROBABLY A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED MURDER BY ANTI-DPRK FORCES, OR PART OF A LARGER POLITICAL PLOT TO IMPEDE RELATIONS BETWEEN THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH. ¶6. (S) MUNZI TOLD POLOFF THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT DID NOT SUPPORT THE NORTH KOREAN REQUEST. IN AN ASIDE, HOWEVER, SHE DID MENTION THAT IF U/S BOLTON DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE PLANNED TALKS, NORTH KOREA COULD NOT CLAIM HIS PRESENCE HAD FOILED NEGOTIATIONS AND ATTENTION WOULD FOCUS ON THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH. POLOFF THANKED MUNZI FOR ITALY'S RESPONSE, NOTED THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT DID NOT HAVE A HISTORY OF NEGOTIATING IN GOOD FAITH, AND POINTED OUT THE USG WOULD APPOINT ITS DELEGATION AS IT SAW FIT. SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME03570 - Classification: SECRET