Agreed Framework 2.0 Death Watch

Whoop de doo. The six-party talks have started again. China has circulated a draft protocol that strives mightily to top Chris Hill’s gift for vagueness by omitting the word “sampling.”

I don’t think the people who designed this six-party concept, in retrospect, realized what a perfect venue this was for Chinese, Russian, and (often) South Korean back-stabbing. The concept may be with us for a while, at least as a superficial demonstration of Obama’s commitment to “multilateralism.”*

With the clock running out and with a consensus forming that Chris Hill has accomplished bupkes, Hill is forced to set some very ambitious goals:

“We’ve come here with three goals in mind … to complete the verification protocol. We also want to complete the schedule of energy and schedule of disablement,” Hill told reporters as he headed to the Chinese state guest house Diaoyutai for the second day of negotiations on denuclearizing North Korea.

“Our plan is to get all the three done,” he said.

Hill was responding to a question on Seoul’s assertion that the provision of economic assistance to the North should be linked with whether Pyongyang signs a verification protocol that sets guidelines for the inspection of its nuclear facilities. [Yonhap]

DLTDHYOTWO, Chris. The Japanese aren’t playing until the abduction situation is addressed, and the South Koreans are saying — imagine this! — that they won’t offer any more aid until North Korea actually lives up to its agreements and does what Hill stopped demanding months ago — disarm.

Wow. They must really hate peace to say that.

* To the left, multilateralism is exalted over all expectations of substance, but only as long as it paralyzes American decisions the left disagrees with (even if only in retrospect). Korea policy is the exception that proves the rule. The left wanted Bush to make concessions to the North Koreans and figured that cutting our allies and sometimes-allies out of the picture would facilitate that. Suddenly, the left demanded bilateral talks. But as we should realize by now, it’s not about the shape of the table. It’s about coming to it with some bargaining power, an understanding of whom we’re dealing with, and some firm-yet-realistic expectations.