Obama pledges to actively engage foes to resolve nuclear threats

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details, background throughout)
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- President Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to engage
enemies as well as friends to resolve nuclear threats and to use power in a
legitimate manner to regain U.S. global credibility, tarnished by the war in
Iraq.

Obama, the first African-American president, made his remarks at a swearing-in
ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
"With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear
threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet," Obama said.
Obama's reference to nuclear threats, without naming North Korea and Iran,
suggests that those issues remain a priority even as the United States confronts
an economic crisis and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In an apparent effort to draw Obama's attention, North Korea last week threatened
to take "an all-out confrontational posture" against the South to face the
hardline policy of President Lee Myung Bak, who has pledged not to engage the
North unless Pyongyang abandons its nuclear ambitions.
North Korea's foreign ministry has also said that it will not abandon its nuclear
arsenal unless the U.S. normalizes ties and abandons what it considers a hostile
North Korea policy.
The latest round of six-party talks faltered last month over North Korea's
refusal to agree to a verification regime for its nuclear facilities.
At his inauguration Tuesday, Obama said his administration will not resort to
unilateral use of power, apparently referring to the so-called cowboy diplomacy
of departing President George W. Bush.
Obama also emphasized the need to seek closer cooperation with allies and
adversaries.
Recalling the spirit of American leaders who "faced down Fascism and communism
not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring
convictions," Obama said, "They understood that our power alone cannot protect
us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please."
"Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security
emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering
qualities of humility and restraint," he said.
During his campaign, Obama said that he will continue the six-party talks while
concurrently seeking more direct engagement with North Korea, including a
possible one-on-one meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il without
preconditions.
Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton also told a Senate confirmation
hearing last week that she would engage North Korea directly as well as by way of
the six-party talks. The issues, she said, would include North Korea's alleged
uranium-based nuclear program, the plutonium producing reactor and suspected
nuclear proliferation.
Clinton said the Obama administration will use "smart power," a combination of
diplomacy and military force that "requires reaching out to both friends and
adversaries, to bolster old alliances and to forge new ones."
Clinton will likely be approved by the full Senate Wednesday.
hdh@yna.co.kr

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