South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun affirmed Wednesday the goal of a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to North Korea's nuclear issue as he began meetings with U.S. officials, his spokesman said.
In talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Roh emphasized the Seoul-Washington alliance as the foundation of South Korea's national security and sought her support in developing future-looking bilateral relations, spokesman Yoon Tae-young said.
Roh arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a three-day visit amid efforts to revive six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan are members of the talks, last held in November.
Roh meets President George W. Bush for a summit Thursday morning.
Roh and Rice agreed to deal with North Korea's nuclear issue as a priority and to resolve it through peaceful and diplomatic means, the spokesman said.
They also agreed that Seoul and Washington need to work closely together for early resumption of the six-party talks, he said.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon met separately with Rice earlier, also discussing the six-party talks and their approaches. Roh's chief security adviser, Song Min-soon, and U.S. counterpart Stephen Hadley were also at the talks.
There will be "in-depth discussions" on how to bring back North Korea to the six-party talks at Thursday's summit, Ban told Yonhap after his meeting with Rice.
"We hope that we can come up with a common, comprehensive approach to find a breakthrough to the stalemate," he said.
President Roh later hosted a luncheon for U.S. business leaders where he expressed firm determination for the successful conclusion of a South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA).
The two nations hope to wrap up the FTA negotiations by the end of this year.
Roh also requested their support for South Korea's inclusion in the visa waiver program, which would allow South Koreans to visit and stay in the U.S. without visas for up to 90 days.
"He also described the Korean government's reform and open-door policies as well as its efforts to further improve the business environment for foreign investors," Cheong Wa Dae's press release said.
The U.S.-Korea Business Council, which arranged the luncheon, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce delivered a letter to Roh expressing support for his requests.
"Our two organizations are working vigorously to promote the further expansion of two-way trade and investment between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the United States," the letter said.
"We also continue to advocate the Republic of Korea's inclusion in the U.S. visa waiver program as soon as possible under applicable regulations," it said.
The letter also gives full backing for an FTA, expressing hope that expanded economic ties under the agreement "will strengthen our countries' overall relationship, which is critical to peace and prosperity in East Asia."
Roh also met with House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois) and other senior House leaders and discussed the Seoul-Washington alliance and regional political situation, his spokesman said.
The president emphasized the success in maintaining a strong alliance for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia and asked for congressional support for the FTA and visa waiver program, spokesman Yoon said.
"We had a great lengthy discussion about free trade, about North Korea and our relationship at the six-party talks," Hastert told reporters after the meeting.
"We look forward to furthering our relationship."
Roh talked with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, one of the newest members in the U.S. Cabinet, and addressed bilateral and global economic issues, including reforms of the International Monetary Fund, according to his spokesman.
He again emphasized the importance of an FTA and requested Paulson's efforts for successful negotiations, Yoon said.
Washington, Sept. 13 (Yonhap News)
Pres. Roh, Rice affirm diplomatic resolution of N.K. nuclear issue |
