South Korea and the United States agreed Tuesday to work together for substantial progress in the forthcoming six-way talks over North Korea's nuclear program, reaffirming their joint position that the communist country should not be recognized as a nuclear power.
But they sidestepped major sensitive issues such as the U.S.-led nonproliferation initiative and inter-Korean joint ventures in what was seen as intended to avoid unnecessary conflict ahead of the crucial nuclear talks slated for late November or early December.
"Both parties shared the view that North Korea's nuclear test is a grave threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and beyond," read a joint press release issued after a "strategic consultation" session here between U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and his South Korean counterpart Yu Myung-hwan.
It was the first high-level talks between the two allies since North Korea made a surprise decision last week to re-enter the moribund nuclear talks. Pyongyang has been under growing pressure to change its course after it tested a nuclear bomb on Oct. 9.
"Both parties agreed to conduct close and in-depth consultations on issues relating to resuming the six-party talks and formulating strategies between the ROK (South Korea) and the U.S. heads of the delegations of the talks," it read. It did not elaborate on when the two nations' top nuclear envoys would meet each other.
They also "highlighted a united voice in the international community through full and effective implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 (to punish its nuclear test)," according to the one-page document, which made no direct reference to the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) or inter-Korean economic projects.
The PSI is one of the hottest topics here, as the government is struggling to decide whether to take part in it. It is aimed at interdicting shipments of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related materials. Critics say the initiative mainly targets North Korea and may lead to armed clashes between the two Koreas.
The two main inter-Korean projects, the Mount Geumgang tour program and the Kaesong industrial complex, are also potential flash points in relations between Seoul and Washington.
The U.S. regards the two ventures in North Korea, funded by the South Korean government, as a cash cow for the Kim Jong-il regime, while South Korea views the inter-Korean business and the PSI alike as unrelated to the U.N. resolution.
Burns' State Department colleague, Robert Joseph, held a separate meeting with South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Park In-kook.
Joseph, undersecretary for arms control and international security affairs, used the meeting to stress the importance of sticking to the U.N. resolution despite Pyongyang's decision to return to the table.
The one-month-old resolution has already begun to prove itself to be effective in pressing the recalcitrant North, leading it to make the tactical move to end its year-long boycott of the nuclear negotiations.
"All issues on our agenda are related to the importance of full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718," Joseph said after his three-hour meeting with Park. They are in charge of drawing up measures by their nations to put into effect the resolution.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official, asking not to be identified, said the PSI was not discussed in the Park-Joseph talks.
South Korea believes it already has in place steps to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to North Korea of items listed in the resolution.
Seoul struck a deal in 2004 with Pyongyang on sea cargo, officially named "The Agreement on Inter-Korean Maritime Transportation," which calls for the two Koreas' vessels not to carry any weapons or related materials through each other's waters.
"We briefed the U.S. side on the purpose and effects of the inter-Korean agreement," the official said. "Undersecretary Joseph expressed his understanding of it."
The two visiting U.S. officials also met with Song Min-soon, President Roh Moo-hyun's chief security advisor, who has been appointed as the country's next foreign minister.
During the meeting, the presidential office said that they agreed to hold a summit between Roh and U.S. President George W.
Bush on the sidelines of next weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Vietnam. The presidents had their latest bilateral summit in September in Washington.
The U.S. undersecretaries had a meeting with Seoul's top nuclear negotiator, Chun Yung-woo, before heading to Beijing. The duo are on a weeklong trip to Northeast Asian nations, including Japan.
Seoul, Nov. 7 (Yonhap News)
S. Korea, U.S. shun thorny topics in Seoul talks |