PRC/DPRK: AMBASSADOR YANG HOULAN DISCUSSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 000996 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/15/2034 TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP KN KS CH SUBJECT: PRC/DPRK: AMBASSADOR YANG HOULAN DISCUSSES SIX-PARTY TALKS WITH STAFFDEL JANNUZI Classified By: Acting Political Minister Counselor Ben Moeling. Reason s 1.4 (b/d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Ambassador for Korean Peninsula Issues Yang Houlan told Staffdel Jannuzi April 15 that China was happy with its close coordination with Washington in the UN Security Council and the Six-Party Talks. Beijing sent several messages to Pyongyang trying to dissuade North Korea from conducting a launch, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Yang praised the "low-key" U.S. response to Pyongyang's announcement that it would withdraw from the Six-Party Talks. He urged the United States to "do something positive" and suggested holding senior-level direct talks with North Korea as soon as possible. End Summary. China "Happy" With U.S. Coordination at UN -------------- ¶2. (C) During an April 15 meeting with Senior East Asia Advisor for the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Frank Jannuzi, Ambassador for Korean Peninsula Issues Yang Houlan said Beijing was "happy" with its close coordination with Washington in the UN Security Council and the Six-Party Talks. China and the United States "did a lot" to convince other parties to issue a strong Presidential Statement, said Yang. Prior to the April 5 launch, said Yang, Beijing tried to dissuade North Korea from conducting a launch and sent messages to North Korea in Pyongyang, Beijing and via high-ranking delegations. Beijing told Pyongyang that North Korea had the right to launch a satellite, but that it should choose the "right time," reported Yang. Beijing Urges Direct Talks Between U.S. and DPRK -------------- --- ¶3. (C) Ambassador Yang praised the low-key U.S. response to Pyongyang's announcement that it would withdraw from the Six-Party Talks. Yang said it was important to maintain the momentum of the Six-Party Talks, since it is in all parties' interests to maintain the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and to implement denuclearization. China, said Yang, would make every effort to restart the multilateral talks. Yang urged the United States to "do something positive" and suggested senior-level direct talks with North Korea as soon as possible. In response to Jannuzi's questions about what actions China might take to persuade its ally to return to the negotiations, Yang laughingly replied that North Korea trusted no one. ¶4. (C) According to Yang, some Chinese analysts believed North Korea's launch was an effort to raise its profile in the Six-Party negotiations and to attract the attention of the United States. North Korean actions also should be viewed in the broader context of its overriding desire to normalize its relationship with the United States, said Yang. While he did not condone Pyongyang's recent actions, Yang reminded Jannuzi that Beijing first normalized its relationship with Washington before pursuing economic reform policies. ¶5. (U) The delegation did not clear this cable. WEINSTEIN