President Roh Moo-hyun on Sunday proposed setting up a multilateral security regime for Northeast Asia similar to confidence-building actions in Europe.
Roh, who is attending the sixth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Finnish capital, emphasized that the European experience can be useful in coping with pending issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
He said challenges confronting Northeast Asia include lingering Cold War-like tensions, concerns surrounding the spread of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and environmental protection. He also said there were uncertainties on the possible realignment of power among Northeast Asian actors.
"The European system that laid the foundation for the successful integration of Europe is a valuable role model for Northeast Asia," he said. The chief executive said that any future multilateral framework should compliment existing security arrangements, indicating he did not support drastic changes to military alliances including the one between Seoul and Washington.
He also said any multilateral security system in Northeast Asia will aim for cooperative and comprehensive security arrangements as well as ensure safety for the people of the region.
"The multilateral framework will initially focus on terrorism prevention, environmental protection, disaster relief, crime prevention and health issues transcending national borders," Roh said. He added this could be later be expanded to political, economic and military affairs.
South Korean officials accompanying the president said it would be premature to discuss details on this particular matter with efforts still underway to arrange the next round of six-way talks to resolve North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
The negotiations aimed at diffusing the standoff over the communist country's atomic weapons program are attended by the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia.
"The important thing about the latest ASEM announcement is that Roh officially commented on the issue for the first time," a spokesperson for the president said.
Besides the futuristic security system, the South Korean leader called on ASEM to transform itself from a gathering for discussing outstanding issues to an organization that handles challenges confronting the world.
He said the issues that can be handled include efforts to reduce the widening information gap and education.
In addition, Roh, who will attend a working dinner on Sunday hosted by Finland's president and explain measures taken by Seoul to bring about a peaceful resolution of North Korea's nuclear ambitions and ask for support from ASEM members, the official said.
Earlier in the day Roh held a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and a summit with Poland's Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
In talks with Wen, Roh expressed regrets over research by a Chinese state-run institute to incorporate ancient Korean history into China's past. The two leaders agreed to work together to get North Korea to return to the six-party talks.
In the Roh-Kaczynski talks, the leaders discussed the positive developments associated with the surge in two-way trade and investments and expressed support for more cooperation.
Roh is also scheduled to meet leaders from Germany, France and Denmark during the two-day gathering that will run through Monday.
However, he is not expected to hold separate talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The two men only shook hands at the start of the ASEM meeting.
This year's meeting is attended by 39 leaders from Asia and Europe as well as representatives from international organizations.
Helsinki, Sept. 10 (Yonhap News)
President Roh proposes multilateral security framework for NE Asia |
