NORTH KOREA DEMARCHE: GERMAN RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000875 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2018 TAGS: PREL PARM KN KNNP GM SUBJECT: NORTH KOREA DEMARCHE: GERMAN RESPONSE REF: STATE 69020 Classified By: Deputy POL Counselor STAN OTTO. Reasons 1.4 (B) & (D). ¶1. (C) POLOFF delivered the paper to Ellen Goelz, desk officer for Nuclear Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at the German MFA on June 30. Goelz noted her appreciation for the comprehensive information and promised to share it with other Korea Watchers within the GoG. While noting that the confidence building measures on both sides were relatively light on substance -- North Korea's removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and the lifting of the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act, and North Korea's disablement of Yongbyon, for example -- Goelz pointed out that such steps are important. ¶2. (C) Goelz went on to note however that much work remains to be done, and expressed interest in receiving more information about the verification process. "The work of the Six-Party Talks has yielded some important substantive results" said Goelz. She stressed that Germany is not yet prepared to give North Korea a "clean bill of health" and is interested in being kept apprised as further negotiations continues, noting that "as always, the devil is in the details." TIMKEN JR