圖1：周五，北朝鮮 炸除了位於 Yongbyon 的核反應裝置冷卻塔。(紐約時報，June 28, 2008)
圖2：Christopher Hill 的明智舉動使北朝鮮代表重回談判桌。(David Deal for TIME)
(一位多麽自信而沉穩的外交官 )
圖3：2007 年2 月13 日，6 國談判代表在北京慶祝 6 國會談結束的儀式上共同握手。 北朝鮮同意以接受燃料援助為條件在60 天內關閉核工廠。(L - R) Japan's chief negotiator Kenichiro Sasae, South Korea 's Chun Yung-woo, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, China's envoy Wu Dawei, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill and Russia's Alexander Losyukov hold hands before the closing ceremony of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme on February 13, 2007 in Beijing, China. North Korea agreed to shut down key nuclear facilities within 60 days in return for vital fuel aid. (Photo by Andrew Wong/Getty Images)
6 月27 日，北朝鮮在多國外交官的現場觀察下，電視直播了爆破核反應堆 60 英尺冷卻塔的過程。這被認為是其向著最終放棄建立核武器進程邁出的關鍵一步。昨天，北朝鮮政府的代表在北京呈交了關於核武器項目的部分文件。
布什政府昨天表示歡迎北朝鮮采取的放棄核武器項目的措施，宣布將會把北朝鮮政府從(極待減少的)美國政府敵人的名單中去除。對此舉動，仁者見仁，智者見智。布什政府中極右的鷹派認為這是對北韓網開一麵，顯示了美國政府的軟弱；而不少專家則指出，如果布什7 年前聽了當時國務卿鮑威爾(POWER) 的勸告，這個局麵早就出現了。
持續了多年的與北朝鮮核政府就核武器項目談判的真正轉機出現在2005 年，當時美國的一位相對年輕(50 歲)的外交官接手了在 6 國談判中的美國首席代表席位。他就是Christopher Hill。[時代]周刊在今年4月3 號的一篇文章中對他起的這種關鍵作用有簡短介紹。聽上去很有些戲劇性。
話說2005 年6 月時，關於北朝鮮核武器的6 國談判陷入僵局。北朝鮮不但重新啟動了核反應裝置，且無視於國際社會要求其終止其核計劃的呼籲。剛上任僅 5 個月的 Hill 先生試圖讓北朝鮮重新回到談判桌上來，但布什政府的強硬立場和談判策略禁止與金正日的政府官員一對一地直接接觸，而國務卿賴斯的折衷策略是，隻要有中國官員在場，Hill 先生就可以會見北朝鮮的談判對手。正是在這個背景下，Hill 先生的才智和勇氣發揮了使談判起死回生的效果。
一天，受邀請的中國官員未出席在北京St. Regis 飯店的晚宴，Hill 先生沒有如預期的那樣抽身而退，反倒單槍匹馬獨會北朝鮮代表。結果，兩周後，6 國會談梅開二度。這才有三年後今天的美朝開始向最終解除兩國持續了近 55 年的敵對狀態的重要一步。設想，如果當天 Hill先生或那位北朝鮮官員一方胃口欠佳，那今天美朝關係又會是怎麽個局麵呢？自然，也許中國官員當時有意設此誘餌作為試探也未可知。但無論如何，如果不是Hill 先生的大智大勇，恐 6 國談判還在萬裏長征的路上呢。
2006 年12 月19 日， Christopher Hill (R) 和北朝鮮代表Chun Yung-woo 在釣魚台國賓館向記者招手。
2007 年2 月13 日，釣魚台國賓館。 美國的首席代表 Christopher Hill (L) 在6 國會談的最後一天。
回過頭來看，在這場北朝鮮與美國較量的持久戰中，恐怕不能不承認北朝鮮外交政策軟硬兼施的狡詐和有的放矢。雖然麵對美國這樣一個在世界上經常是指哪兒打哪兒的主兒，楞是使出比36計還多的招數，不怕威脅利誘，不達到自己的目的決不罷休，死頂軟纏地拖到布什第二屆政府接近尾聲了才擺出放下屠刀，立地成佛的姿態。曾幾何時，連咱們中國政府這個經過血的考驗的親密戰友都放出要限製燃料的風聲，欲逼其“就範”。這個金二世真是不知道吃了哪方的龍肝瘋膽，或就是朝鮮本地的豹子膽，居然臉不變色心不跳，回旋於 6 國之中，鋝虎須掃虎臉的，讓世人大跌眼鏡。當然，北朝鮮的人民在這場鬥爭中經曆了百年不遇的饑荒，據說近百萬人餓死。金正日政權做此番搏鬥於國於民究竟是成就了千秋大業抑或禍國殃民，遺害四方，恐還很難定論。
自然，仗打勝了，最光彩的是統帥和高級將領，但曆史恐不會忘記真正在戰場上衝鋒陷陣，或是在談判桌上八兩撥千斤的勇士們。記得多年前看過一本國內出的(或是翻譯的？)介紹美國國務院中職業外交官與政客之間矛盾的書，提到職業外交官雖然在國際外交事務中常操勝卷，但幾乎每屆政府都會安插自己的毫無經驗的嫡係親信來外行領導內行。當年美國政府在二戰勝利後對國民黨一黨的全力支持就曾遭到象包括費正清這樣人士的反對。另外最近在電視中聽到，當年美國與北越的停戰談判為了談判的桌子應該是什麽形狀的(方的還是圓的？)就爭執了數月而不能進入正題，盡管美國在越南戰場上損失慘重(當然越南的代價也不小)。後來，還是中方的介入，才使得這樣一個“難題”得以解決。
話又說回來，如果美韓的戰爭狀態能最終得到解除，對美國人民也是百喜而無一憂。[時代]周刊的文章最後提到，不久前美國費城交響樂團對北朝鮮的訪問雖然不是與Hill先生直接有關，但如果沒有他使兩國關係改善的突破性的努力，樂團恐難成行。這個世界上，演奏音樂遠勝過製造炸彈。
祝Hill 先生這樣智勇雙全的職業外交官能官運亨通，繼續造福於世。FOR PEACE.
BIOGRAPHY Christopher R. Hill was sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs on April 8, 2005. Ambassador Hill is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service whose most recent assignment was as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea . On February 14, 2005, he was named as the Head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. Previously he has served as U.S. Ambassador to Poland (2000-2004), Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia (1996-1999) and Special Envoy to Kosovo (1998-1999). He also served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Southeast European Affairs in the National Security Council. Earlier in his Foreign Service career, Ambassador Hill served tours in Belgrade , Warsaw , Seoul , and Tirana, and on the Department of State's Policy Planning staff and in the Department’s Operation Center . While on a fellowship with the American Political Science Association he served as a staff member for Congressman Stephen Solarz working on Eastern European issues. He also served as the Department of State's Senior Country Officer for Poland . Ambassador Hill received the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions as a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the Bosnia peace settlement, and was a recipient of the Robert S. Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations for his work on the Kosovo crisis. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Hill served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon . Ambassador Hill graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick , Maine with a B.A. in Economics. He received a Master's degree from the Naval War College in 1994. He speaks Polish, Serbo-Croatian, and Macedonian. |
履曆簡介:
Education and Peace Corps service
Hill's father was a diplomat in the US Foreign Service and as a child Hill traveled with the family to many countries.[1] After US diplomats were expelled from Haiti , Hill's family moved to Little Compton, Rhode Island[1] where Hill attended Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, graduating in 1970. [2] He then went on to study at Bowdoin College, earning a B.A. in economics in 1974. [3]
After graduation from college Hill decided to join the Peace Corps.[1] “Like most kids graduating college I had no idea what I wanted to do,” Hill said, “so I decided to join the Peace Corps and maybe be a little more adventurous than my dad."[1]
Hill was a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon from 1974 to 1976.[4] Hill credits his work with the Peace Corps for teaching him his first lessons in diplomacy.[4] As a volunteer, Hill worked with credit unions and when he discovered that one board of directors had stolen 60 percent of their members' money, he reported on the malfeasance to their members, who promptly re-elected them because the board reflected carefully balanced tribal interests and it really did not matter to the members if the board directors ran a good credit union or not.[4] Hill said the lesson was that "When something's happened, it's happened for a reason and you do your best to understand that reason. But don't necessarily think you can change it."[4] Hill took the Foreign Service exam while he was serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon .[1]
Hill received a Master's degree from the Naval War College in 1994.[5] Hill speaks Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, and Albanian.[5]
Diplomacy
Hill joined the State Department in 1977. [6] Hill served as secretary for economic affairs at the US Embassy in Seoul from 1983 to 1985.[6] When he returned to Korea in 2004 as US Ambassador he began by saying "I was here for three years in the 1980s, one has to be a little careful about drawing on too much experience from so long ago. So, even though I'll certainly draw on my experience from the 1980s, I think I also need to do an awful lot of listening to people to understand what has been going on lately."[6]
Hill served as the ambassador to Macedonia from 1996 to 1999, Special Envoy to Kosovo in 1998 and 1999, ambassador to Poland from 2000 to 2004, and ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2004 to 2005 before being appointed as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.[5] While on a fellowship with the American Political Science Association, Hill served as a member of the staff of Congressman Stephen Solarz.[5]
In November 2006 President George W. Bush nominated Hill for the grade of career minister, the second-highest rank for career diplomats.[7] The elite title is one step below career ambassador.[7]
Bosnia peace settlement
Hill was part of the team that negotiatied the Bosnia peace settlement.[1] While working on Balkan issues, Hill worked closely with Richard Holbrooke, serving as his deputy at the Dayton Peace Talks in 1995. Holbrooke described Hill as "brilliant, fearless and argumentative" in his book on the Dayton negotiations and said that Hill manages to be both "very cool and very passionate." The combination, Holbrooke said, enhances Hill's "extremely good negotiating skills."[4] Hill said the negotiations with because the Bosnians, Serbs and Croats were successful because all the parties “were all ready to settle.”[1]
Hill had a diplomatic failure as special envoy to Kosovo[1] “because the Serbs were not ready to relinquish their stranglehold on Kosovo, so we ended up in a NATO bombing campaign.”[1] “Like a lot of things in life: you’ve got to do everything you can do” Hill said, to ensure “that you have left no stone unturned, that you have really tried.”[1]
Negotiations with North Korea
On February 14, 2005, Hill was named as the Head of the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis.[5]
In the first visit to North Korea by a senior American official in over five years, Hill flew into Pyongyang on June 21, 2007 for a two day visit where he was warmly greeted by Ri Gun, the North’s deputy nuclear negotiator at the airport.[8] “We want to get the six-party process moving,” Mr. Hill said.[8] “We hope that we can make up for some of the time that we lost this spring, and so I’m looking forward to good discussions about that."[8] The visit had been organized in secrecy.[8] Hill had been visiting Tokyo and flew to South Korea and then on to Pyongyang on a small jet.[8] Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice informed regional allies Japan and South Korea just before Hill's departure from Tokyo . [8]
On July 14, 2007 North Korea informed Hill that they had shut down the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and admitted an international inspection team.[9] Hill cautioned that the shutdown was "just the first step."[9] Verifying the declaration will be difficult, because for now the inspectors are limited to the Yongbyon complex.[9]
On September 3, 2007 the New York Times reported that Hill met in Geneva for two days of one-on-one negotiations with Kim Kye-gwan, who heads the North Korean negotiating team, and that North Korea had agreed to disable its main nuclear fuel production plant by the end of 2007 and to account for all of its nuclear programs to international monitors.[10] North Korea had also agreed to turn off its main nuclear reactor this summer.[10] "One thing that we agreed on is that the D.P.R.K. will provide a full declaration of all of their nuclear programs and will disable their nuclear programs by the end of this year, 2007," Hill told reporters.[10]
On December 20, 2007 the Korean Times reported that Kathleen Stephens, adviser to Hill at the State Department in the office of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, had been appointed as the next ambassador to South Korea .[11] Sources said that Hill had recommended Stephens for the ambassadorial position for her understanding and experiences on Korean affairs.[11] Stephens served as an advisor to Hill during the North Korean nuclear talks, and reportedly was working on a peace treaty for the Korean Peninsula .[11]
On January 8, 2008 the New York Times reported that North Korea had missed a deadline to submit an inventory of its nuclear arms programs and that Hill said that failure to meet a deadline should be confronted with patience and perseverance.[12] "They were prepared to give a declaration which wasn’t going to be complete and correct and we felt that it was better for them to give us a complete one even if it’s going to be a late one," said Hill.[12]
On February 7, 2008 Hill told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that talks with North Korea are at a "critical, challenging" point.[13] Washington has refused to remove North Korea from its terrorism blackslist until the promised list of its nuclear efforts is provided.[13] "Let me be clear," Hill said.[13] " 'Complete and correct' means complete and correct. This declaration must include all nuclear weapons, programs, materials and facilities, including clarification of any proliferation activities."[13]
On March 2, 2008 Hill said in an interview in Beijing that US diplomatic relations with Korea were possible before the end of the Bush administration if Korea completely dismantled its nuclear program.[14] "We've told them we are not prepared to do that until they give up their nuclear materials," said Hill.[14] "We can begin the process of discussing what we are going to do, whether we are going to open embassies, that sort of thing. But we will not have diplomatic relations with a nuclear North Korea ."[14]
On April 11, 2008 the Washington Post reported that a tentative deal has been reached with North Korea concerning a range of nuclear activities and the lifting of sanctions against North Korea .[15] The agreement would include North Korea 's disabling of its main nuclear facility and a complete accounting of North Korea 's plutonium.[15] "We are trying to focus on the plutonium as we try to resolve our suspicions on uranium enrichment," said chief U.S. negotiator Christopher R. Hill.[15] "That's where the bombs are. We don't have suspicions about plutonium; we have cold, hard facts about plutonium."[15]
US Relationship with China
Although Hill is not well known in the United States , he has become a celebrity also in China as chief envoy in talks on North Korea 's nuclear weapons program.[16] Part of the reason is that during negotiations Hill speaks every morning and evening to the media and has an easygoing manner, while his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, gives only occasional media access.[16]
Hill says that the six party talks with North Korea have opened the door for fruitful dealings between the US and China in other areas.[1] “We’ve worked diplomatically with them shoulder to shoulder. We haven’t done this sort of thing before with China ,” says Hill.[1] "At some point we have to figure out a way to deal with 1.3 billion people, and I think the six-party process has been a good one for that.”[1]
Hill said in an interview on April 21, 2008 in the Seattle Times that the United States ' relationship with China is the most important bilateral relationship in the world.[17] "I would say the China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship we have in the world," says Hill.[17] "We have some 57 dialogues with Chinese counterparts, ranging from global warming to economic and trade issues. I would say we spend a great deal of time and attention on things Chinese with the understanding that in the long run we have to have a good working relationship with 1.3 billion people."[17]
Hill says that China has been an active participant in the six-party talks.[17] " China is a very active participant. It's an area we have succeeded in working with them very productively and pragmatically on an area of mutual concern," says Hill.[17] " China looks at North Korea in very different ways from how we look at them. You have to recall they were a historical partner and ally. Chinese veterans associations trace their roots to the Korean War. All that said, China is very much convinced that North Korea needs to give up its nuclear ambitions."[17]
Hill says that recent events in China and protests surrounding the torch relay for the Olympics may not result in improved human rights.[17] "The Chinese people are very proud of hosting the Olympics. This sense of pride transcends political views within China ," says Hill.[17] "Even people who are extremely critical of their own government, and there are many Chinese who are very critical of their own government, even those people are filled with a sense of pride that China is hosting these Olympics. Many of them have taken the view that those who would somehow boycott the Olympics are doing so out of a desire to keep China down and otherwise humiliate and embarrass China. So it is an issue with great public resonance in China , going well beyond the question of the government."[17]
Reputation in East Asia
In Seoul, Hill had one of the happiest moments in his life because his beloved Boston Red Sox defeated their much-hated rival New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series and won the World Series in 2004. One of the subjects Hill spoke about with his South Korean diplomatic counterparts upon his arrival in Seoul as the new U.S. ambassador was the Red Sox' 2003 closing pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. [18] Hill has also won over the media in Japan .[16] After the Boston Red Sox signed pitching star Daisuke Matsuzaka from the Seibu Lions, Hill turned up for meetings in Tokyo wearing a Seibu Lions baseball cap.[16]
Hill's mention of Kim was an early indication that the new U.S. ambassador to Seoul would set a new precedent by closely approaching to South Korea 's contemporary culture and society. He frequently had dialogues with South Koreans at universities, cyber chat rooms, and sometimes places that are considered hotbeds of anti-U.S. sentiments. He was the first U.S. ambassador to pay respects at Gwangju's Mangwoldong May 18 National Cemetery for thousands of civilians who stood up for democracy and were massacred by the then-military government in May 1980. Many South Koreans suspected that the U.S. government allowed the attack, and no senior U.S. official had ever visited Mangwoldong before. According to Tami Overby, a senior official with the American Chamber of Commerce in South Korea , Hill served the shortest term in her 18 years of life in Seoul but had the most impact.[4]
Relations with New Zealand
Main article: New Zealand-United States relations
In May 2006, Hill described the New Zealand's 1985 anti-nuclear legislation as "a relic", and signaled that the US wanted a closer defence relationship with New Zealand. He also praised New Zealand ’s involvement in Afghanistan and reconstruction in Iraq. "Rather than trying to change each other’s minds on the nuclear issue... I think we should focus on things we can make work," Hill said adding that the US would not demand to "put ships back into New Zealand ."[19]
Awards and honors
Hill was a recipient of the Robert S. Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations for his work on the Kosovo crisis.[5] The award is named for Hill's friend Bob Frasure, a fellow American diplomat killed in 1995 in Bosnia.[citation needed]
Personal life
Hill is married and has three children.[20] After Hill was promoted from US Ambassador to Korea to Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, his wife, Patty Hill, and their two daughters remained in Korea until the end of the school year so his daughters could complete their studies.[20]
Publications
- "The geopolitical implications of enlargement". In Jan Zielonka (ed.), Europe unbound -- Enlarging and reshaping the boundaries of the European Union. (Routledge, 2002).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_R._Hill
