Richardson Has Productive Talks With North Koreans

From governor's office:

Governor Bill Richardson met today with a delegation of North Korean diplomats at the Governor's Mansion in Santa Fe.

The delegation, representing North Korea's Mission to the United Nations in New York, requested the meeting with Governor Richardson. Led by Minister Myong Gil Kim and Counselor Jong Ho Paek, the delegation met with Governor Richardson for three hours this morning. They will resume talks later today. The delegation will meet on Thursday with community and business leaders to discuss New Mexico renewable energy initiatives.

The governor says the talks have been productive.

I got a sense that temperatures have really cooled down since President Clinton's visit. The delegation indicated that North Korea is ready for a new dialogue with the United States regarding the nuclear issue. The question is whether to proceed with face-to-face bilateral talks, as the North Korea prefer, or to utilize the six-party framework that the United States has advocated. The North Koreans clearly want bilateral talks and not the six-party framework.

On Wednesday, the Governor also met with Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of the Dalai Lama at their request. The two men had a private meeting and then Governor Richardson hosted a small luncheon in honor of the Special Envoy at the mansion, including Greg Kruglak, President of the Conservancy for Tibetan Art and Culture, Stuart Ashman, Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and Paljor Thondup, President of Project Tibet. Lodi Gyari is the special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Washington, DC and currently serves as the Tibetan's lead negotiator with the Chinese Government. Mr. Gyari formerly served as Senior Cabinet Minister for the Department of Information and International Relations.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Richardson Will Greet North Korean Diplomats In New Mexico

Senior diplomats with the North Korean mission to the United Nations are scheduled for a two-day meeting with Gov. Bill Richardson in New Mexico starting Wednesday.

Governor Bill Richardson, who has traveled to North Korea several times in the past, most recently in April 2007 to secure the return of remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War, is expected to greet them at the governor's mansion on Wednesday.

We've learned it was the North Koreans who asked Richardson for the meeting after relationship talks stalled in other diplomatic channels.

Tomorrow's meeting with the North Koreans won't be the first meeting in the state. In January 2003 Richardson met with the North Koreans for extended talks on a nuclear showdown with Kim Il Jong's government, that lasted three days. Richardson called those discussions "positive, frank and candid." That meeting was coordinated with then Secretary of State Colin Powell.

A source said during this visit Richardson will be in a listening mode. He wants to find out what the North Koreans have to say. He is not doing any kind of negotiating.

CNN reports a discussion of renewable energy will be on the agenda because the state is recognized as a leader in the U.S. in exploring renewable energy technologies.

The visit comes on the heels of a trip to North Korea by former President Bill Clinton to gain the release of two American journalists held in Pyongyang.

Richardson Talks to Local Reporters About North Korea

After appearing on a slew of network news shows, Governor Bill Richardson talked to local reporters about the release of two American Journalists from North Korea.

Here's the audio from the news conference this morning after he rolled out new education initiatives. Richardson, who has had a long term relationship with North Korean officials, including Kim Jong-il, said that while he was involved with the U.S. State Department that former President Bill Clinton was the perfect envoy for this rescue mission.



Gov. Bill Richardson says both the United States and North Korea can cite victory from the high-level talks that sprang two American journalists from jail in the reclusive communist country.

Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador the U.N., said Wednesday that "it's equal right now" in terms of public relations one-upmanship between Washington and Pyongyang as a result of former President Bill Clinton's successful mission.

He said on CBS's "The Early Show," that North Korea "used the two journalists as bargaining chips. ... They've played this game before." Richardson said Washington won their release and perhaps an easing of tensions and North Korea's Kim Jong Il "gets a former president on his soil" at a time of turmoil in relations between the two countries.

For Pete's Sake:

Originally, reporters were told that Richardson was on a tight schedule, and that he would not talk to reporter's following the news conference. As the chief's top executive that's to be expected. Instead we were told that Veronica Garcia, and other's VIP's who attended could answer our questions.

I have to tip my hat to Richardson. He stayed for about five minutes and took every question from the local reporters who attended the event.

Handlers (we call them gatekeepers) and other's often get in between the governor and the local press. But, it's been my experience that he takes the time to make sure we get every one of our questions answered. In April, for example, he told his driver's to shut his SUV's engine off so it would not mess up my audio recording.

The thing that handlers don't always know is that many of us in the press, myself included, have known Richardson since the early 80's and have longer relationships with him than they do.

I first met Richardson when he ran against incumbent Manuel Lujan. I walked with him and Speaker of the House Tip O'Neil door to door during a photo op. He's always taken the time to speak with us. And that's why we can bring you great audio to listen to on this blog and on the air at 770KKOB and other great stations in past, like KZIA 1580 AM, where I worked with Joe Monahan and Mike Santullo when I was just a kid. Ah the memories.

Heinrich Honors New Mexican Vets; Condemns North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Test.

Duty, Honor & Country. New Mexicans Pay Tribute to Fallen Soldiers.

After a weekend of rain, sunshine filled the NM Veteran's Memorial Park just in time for Monday's Memorial Day ceremonies. Hundreds of people filled the grandstands. They saluted a giant American Flag (flying at half staff), bowed their heads during an invocation, and listened to dignitaries honor veterans and their families.

Lest we forget, a wall with thousands of New Mexican's names surrounds the entrance to the park. The bricks display the names of those individuals who heard the call to duty and are either still missing in action, tragically died in combat, or served in captivity, from WWI through the War on Terror.

Represenative Martin Heinrich, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, was a featured speaker at this morning's event. Other VIP's attending included Lt. Governor Diane Denish, ABQ Mayor Martin J. Chavez, Bernalillo County Commissioner Michael Brasher, and City Councilor Dan Harris.

He tells us the first piece of legislation he introduced in Congress was for veterans.

It will help communications between the Department of Veterans Affairs, our State V.A. Directorships and returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. We often lose track of those folks because we only keep track of their physical address which typically changes a lot when they return. One of things we’re trying to do is make sure they start keeping track of emails for all those returning veterans so we can make sure they get the services they’ve earned.

We caught up with him before the ceremony began and talked to him about North Korea's nuclear weapon test underground early Monday.

Heinrich told 770KKOB, that he's concerned North Korea is becoming increasingly isolated from the world community.

I think we need to work in concert with our allies to make sure that North Korea does not pose a threat to the United States or the stability of the entire pacific region.

Heinrich said the NM Veterans Memorial Park use to be in his city council district and that it has a close place in his heart.

In addition to honoring the fallen over the last year I just want to thank the people who show up here every single year. You see their faces again and again if you’ve been to the park. They come every spring. They don’t spend their memorial day at the reservoir or off on a three-day vacation. They come here to recognize and pay tribute to our fallen veterans.

Heinrich also told us he'll be hosting a veteran's town hall meeting on Wednesday at the park, near Kirtland A.F.B., from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish told the crowd, "Because of their [veterans] valor and their commitment, freedom is alive in the world today."

Obama Address: Global Challenges and Renewed Alliances.

In Europe, President Barack Obama has arguably had one the best weeks of his young presidency.

In this week's video address, filmed aboard Air Force One, and before North Korea blasted it's rocket test into the Pacific Ocean, the President discusses the breadth and depth of the global challenges we face, as well as our potential to address them through renewed international alliances.