S. Korean Authorities Slammed for Pushing Authorities' Talks to Rupture

Pyongyang, December 16 (KCNA) -- The chief delegate of the south side to the first round of the north-south authorities' talks told reporters right after the rupture of the talks on Dec. 12 that the south approached the negotiations with sincerity but the north side created difficulties in the way of the talks. A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea in a statement on Tuesday branded this as an intolerable and serious provocation to the dialogue partner. The talks, provided with much effort amid expectation and concern of all the Koreans, ended without any fruit. This was an inevitable result of the confrontation policy of the south Korean authorities, the statement said, and went on: We, stressing the need to create the atmosphere of dialogue for improving the bilateral relations, proposed resuming the tour of Mt. Kumgang and settling the issue of separated families and relatives, urgent issues about which all the Koreans are concerned, and reactivating exchanges in various fields. But the south side raised lots of unimportant issues which are not helpful to the improvement of the north-south relations in wanton violation of the agreement made at the technical contact for the authorities' talks on seeking negotiated settlement of pending issues between the north and the south. The DPRK side proposed simultaneously pushing forward and implementing the issues of the resumption of tour and the separated families and relatives as the south side shunned the discussion of the resumption issue but the south side flatly turned down discussion of the tour issue, saying that "it is principle not to link the issue". We even allowed the extension of the talks, persuading the south side and showing magnanimity, but the south side insisted that it can never agree on resuming the tour. The talks clearly proved that as long as the south Korean authorities persist in dependence on outsiders and moves for confrontation with fellow countrymen, the north-south relations can never make even a step forward and that even though dialogue is held, nothing will be settled. -0-