ID :
42480
Sat, 01/24/2009 - 17:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/42480
The shortlink copeid
Obama urged to focus on human rights in dealing with N. Korea
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- The former U.S. special envoy for human rights in North Korea has urged the new Obama administration to emphasize human rights in dealing with the reclusive regime.
"In a manner similar to Helsinki, the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and our other
partners now have the opportunity to expand our approach to one of constructive
engagement, an effort that is intended to open up the North Korean regime," Jay
Lefkowitz, U.S. special envoy for human rights in North Korea, said in his final
report submitted to the U.S. government recently. He resigned soon after Obama's
inauguration Tuesday.
Lefkowitz, appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2005 under the North
Korean Human Rights Act, was referring to the Helsinki Act signed in 1975 by the
U.S. and 34 other Western countries. It called for a focus on human rights in
dealing with the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc states.
The Helsinki process led to the creation of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and resulted in the collapse of the Soviet bloc
nations in the early 1990s.
The Pyongyang initiative, Lefkowitz said, "may consist of a new framework for
dialogue and effective steps to interact more deeply with North Korea. This
should involve a candid and ongoing human rights dialogue with Pyongyang as a
condition for the future normalization of relations."
Lefkowitz called the working group on normalization of relations, established by
a February 2007 agreement at the six-party talks, a "good starting point for this
discussion."
The 2007 aid-for-denuclearization agreement calls for North Korea to dismantle
its nuclear arsenal in return for massive economic aid and the normalization of
relations with the U.S. and Japan.
Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific
affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July that he would invite
Lefkowitz, to attend "all future negotiations with North Korea, except those
specifically dealing with nuclear disarmament."
His assurances cleared the way for some reluctant Republican senators to approve
the nomination of Kathleen Stephens as the first female U.S. ambassador to Seoul.
Lefkowitz proposed that the U.S. and its allies cooperate closely to link any aid
to North Korea with human rights improvements. Such aid would include development
assistance, World Bank loans, trade access and food.
"When countries provide unilateral aid to North Korea, it is easier for Pyongyang
to resist monitoring," he said. "If aid donors could be syndicated and would
agree to offer large amounts of humanitarian assistance to North Korea contingent
on full access and monitoring, Pyongyang might feel impelled to accept."
"Were this to happen, the misery of the North Korean people could be partially
alleviated in a way that does not strengthen the regime," he added.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
"In a manner similar to Helsinki, the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and our other
partners now have the opportunity to expand our approach to one of constructive
engagement, an effort that is intended to open up the North Korean regime," Jay
Lefkowitz, U.S. special envoy for human rights in North Korea, said in his final
report submitted to the U.S. government recently. He resigned soon after Obama's
inauguration Tuesday.
Lefkowitz, appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2005 under the North
Korean Human Rights Act, was referring to the Helsinki Act signed in 1975 by the
U.S. and 34 other Western countries. It called for a focus on human rights in
dealing with the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc states.
The Helsinki process led to the creation of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and resulted in the collapse of the Soviet bloc
nations in the early 1990s.
The Pyongyang initiative, Lefkowitz said, "may consist of a new framework for
dialogue and effective steps to interact more deeply with North Korea. This
should involve a candid and ongoing human rights dialogue with Pyongyang as a
condition for the future normalization of relations."
Lefkowitz called the working group on normalization of relations, established by
a February 2007 agreement at the six-party talks, a "good starting point for this
discussion."
The 2007 aid-for-denuclearization agreement calls for North Korea to dismantle
its nuclear arsenal in return for massive economic aid and the normalization of
relations with the U.S. and Japan.
Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific
affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in July that he would invite
Lefkowitz, to attend "all future negotiations with North Korea, except those
specifically dealing with nuclear disarmament."
His assurances cleared the way for some reluctant Republican senators to approve
the nomination of Kathleen Stephens as the first female U.S. ambassador to Seoul.
Lefkowitz proposed that the U.S. and its allies cooperate closely to link any aid
to North Korea with human rights improvements. Such aid would include development
assistance, World Bank loans, trade access and food.
"When countries provide unilateral aid to North Korea, it is easier for Pyongyang
to resist monitoring," he said. "If aid donors could be syndicated and would
agree to offer large amounts of humanitarian assistance to North Korea contingent
on full access and monitoring, Pyongyang might feel impelled to accept."
"Were this to happen, the misery of the North Korean people could be partially
alleviated in a way that does not strengthen the regime," he added.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)
