FM says summit with Pyongyang must help denuclearize N. Korea

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan on
Wednesday said denuclearization has to be an important topic of any future summit
between the leaders of South and North Korea, a subject rarely discussed between
the divided states outside of six-nation nuclear negotiations.

"The government's basic position is that we can hold a South-North summit at any
time as long as it is in line with our principles and will help solve the North
Korean nuclear issue," the minister said in an interview with local cable news
network YTN.
The remarks came one day after President Lee Myung-bak said his government will
not pay any "price" for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il,
apparently meaning there will be no pre-arranged concessions to the communist
nation in exchange for its agreeing to an inter-Korean summit.
The North Korean leader held summit meetings in 2000 and 2007 with then South
Korean presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, respectively.
While both summits were hailed as marking historic changes in relations between
the two Koreas that have technically remained at war since the end of the 1950-53
Korean War, they were also tainted by large cash payments and economic assistance
sent by Seoul.
The South Korean foreign minister said future discussions on formally ending the
Korean War must be led by the two Koreas with the U.S. and China, which also
fought in the war, also taking part as relevant countries.
North Korea last month said it will not return to the six-nation talks over its
nuclear programs until the start of negotiations for a peace treaty to replace
the 1953 Korean armistice and removal of U.N.-imposed sanctions.
Yu again noted the removal of U.N. sanctions will not be possible until North
Korea returns to the nuclear talks, last held in December 2008, and makes
significant progress toward denuclearization.
"The U.S. or any other country cannot decide to unilaterally remove the sanctions
because, according to the U.N. Security Council resolution, there must first be
progress in the denuclearization (of North Korea) to ease or remove the
sanctions," he said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)

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