Obama, Hu to discuss N. Korea's rocket launch: White House

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, March 28 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will discuss North
Korea's imminent rocket launch next week when he meets one-on-one with Chinese
President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of the G20 economic summit in London, a
White House official said Saturday.
"We'll obviously want to take an opportunity to discuss our shared concerns about
preparations in North Korea for a launch that we, as you know, would consider to
be counter to U.N. Security Council resolution 1718," said Denis McDonough, White
House deputy national security adviser, outlining the bilateral meeting's agenda.
The remarks come amid reports that China, North Korea's staunchest communist
ally, may not join the United States and its allies in further sanctioning the
North should it carry out the launch.
China, along with Russia, has urged all parties concerned to show restraint.
North Korea claims it intends to send a communications satellite into space. The
launch is scheduled to take place between April 4-8, coinciding with the London
summit, which will be aimed at addressing the global economic crisis.
The U.S. has threatened to refer North Korea to the U.N. Security Council for
possible further sanctions. Regional intelligence officials suspect the launch is
a cover to test-fire a ballistic missile capable of striking Alaska.
North Korea has warned any such response would lead to the termination of the
languishing six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs. Negotiations
have been stalled since December over how to verify North Korea's present and
past nuclear activities.
China hosts the multilateral nuclear talks which began in 2003.
Chief nuclear envoys from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan met in Washington
Friday to discuss bringing North Korea's rocket launch to the U.N. Security
Council, saying any rocket launch -- whether it carries a satellite or a missile
-- is in violation of the U.N. resolution, which was adopted in 2006 after North
Korea's failed missile test.
The resolution bans any ballistic missile activity by North Korea.
China and Russia, however, are said to be opposed to any further sanctions if a
rocket is launched for the delivery of a satellite.
In an apparent recognition of China's opposition, Wi Sung-lac, South Korea's
chief nuclear envoy, said Friday he "would not prejudge what the U.N. Security
Council will do."
In London, Obama will also meet with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to
discuss the North's missile and nuclear weapons programs and other topics of
mutual concern.
The White House said earlier this week that Lee and Obama "plan to confer on
North Korea to ensure close coordination, assess progress and challenges in the
U.S.-ROK Alliance, and share ideas on development of clean energy to address our
common environmental concerns."
ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, the South's official name.
North Korea has pledged to take "strong measures" in the face of any U.N. action
against the rocket launch, hinting at a possible second nuclear test, following
one conducted in 2006.
Despite warnings by Washington officials that the U.S. could shoot down any
rocket launched by North Korea, experts say it is unlikely the U.S. will attempt
to do so due to technical shortfalls and political implications.
U.S. officials and experts see the North's planned rocket launch as an attempt to
show off its missile capability and revive the missile talks, suspended under the
Bill Clinton administration a decade ago.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she would like to initiate
missile talks with North Korea. Some experts have proposed that Washington pay up
to US$1 billion annually in compensation if the North halts long-range missile
exports, deployment and development.
North Korea, known to be a major provider of missiles and missile parts to Syria,
Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, made the demand for cash compensation a
decade earlier.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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