ID :
81051
Tue, 09/22/2009 - 10:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/81051
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean president proposes "grand bargain" on resolving N. Korean nuke
By Byun Duk-kun
NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed on
Monday a "grand bargain" with North Korea to end its nuclear arms program,
putting economic and political incentives including a security guarantee for the
communist state into the package deal.
Under the proposal, North Korea will be provided with the incentives from the
international community once it gives up "key elements" of its nuclear programs,
Lee said.
"We must seek a packaged or 'grand bargain' resolution of North Korean nuclear
issue, in which North Korea will dismantle key elements of its nuclear programs
through the six-party talks while we will simultaneously provide security
guarantees and international assistance to North Korea," the president said in a
speech at a luncheon co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Korea
Society and the Asia Society.
The South Korean leader arrived in the United States on Sunday on a six-day trip
to attend the U.N. General Assembly and the G-20 Economic Summit in Pittsburgh.
South and North Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan form the
six-party talks that aim to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Although
assessments vary, Pyongyang is generally believed to have enough plutonium to
make at least half a dozen atomic bombs. It is also thought to be sharpening its
technology so that it can tip a missile with a nuclear warhead.
The six-party members have previously discussed and offered a package deal for
the North including wider access to economic rehabilitation funds and programs,
diplomatic normalization with Washington and Tokyo, a guarantee for its regime,
and a peace treaty to permanently end the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The deal failed after Pyongyang breached the terms of the agreement and
ultimately withdrew from the multilateral forum.
Lee's latest proposal, however, suggests a varied approach, seeking North Korea's
full nuclear dismantlement from the start instead of in phases.
North Korea had disabled its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon under a six-party
accord signed in 2007, which laid out phased steps toward complete dismantlement,
but restored most of them as the negotiations fell apart on verifying its atomic
stockpile.
"We must not repeat our mistake of the past 20 years when we allowed the North
Korean nuclear issue to return to its starting point by agreeing to a nuclear
freeze and rewarding the North for such an agreement while ignoring the
fundamental issue of complete nuclear dismantlement," the president said.
A South Korean official accompanying Lee said this was a "salami" strategy by
North Korea, under which it only agrees to "thin slices" of concessions for large
incentives while maintaining most of its nuclear programs intact.
The president said North Korea must not mistake the denuclearization process as a
threat to its regime, but understand it can establish a new relationship with the
world by giving up its nuclear ambitions.
"There is no country in the world that will express any hostility toward North
Korea giving up its nuclear weapons and becoming a member of the international
society," Lee told the luncheon meeting, attended by some 230 members of the
U.S.-based organizations.
On other issues, the South Korean president called for increased cooperation
between his country and its allies, especially the United States, to address
global issues such as climate change, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction.
"Our two countries (South Korea and the U.S.) will now actively work to
contribute more to the resolution of challenges facing the world while promoting
the shared values of the international community," the president said.
Lee also called for the early enactment of a free trade agreement (FTA) signed
between the countries over two years ago, saying the volume of Seoul's bilateral
trade with Washington grew by just 58 percent over the past eight years, during
which Korea's overall trade volume nearly doubled.
"The surest way to significantly expand the economic exchange between South Korea
and the Unites States, an area that has shown a relatively slower growth than
other sectors, is the Korea-U.S. FTA," he said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak proposed on
Monday a "grand bargain" with North Korea to end its nuclear arms program,
putting economic and political incentives including a security guarantee for the
communist state into the package deal.
Under the proposal, North Korea will be provided with the incentives from the
international community once it gives up "key elements" of its nuclear programs,
Lee said.
"We must seek a packaged or 'grand bargain' resolution of North Korean nuclear
issue, in which North Korea will dismantle key elements of its nuclear programs
through the six-party talks while we will simultaneously provide security
guarantees and international assistance to North Korea," the president said in a
speech at a luncheon co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, the Korea
Society and the Asia Society.
The South Korean leader arrived in the United States on Sunday on a six-day trip
to attend the U.N. General Assembly and the G-20 Economic Summit in Pittsburgh.
South and North Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan form the
six-party talks that aim to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Although
assessments vary, Pyongyang is generally believed to have enough plutonium to
make at least half a dozen atomic bombs. It is also thought to be sharpening its
technology so that it can tip a missile with a nuclear warhead.
The six-party members have previously discussed and offered a package deal for
the North including wider access to economic rehabilitation funds and programs,
diplomatic normalization with Washington and Tokyo, a guarantee for its regime,
and a peace treaty to permanently end the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The deal failed after Pyongyang breached the terms of the agreement and
ultimately withdrew from the multilateral forum.
Lee's latest proposal, however, suggests a varied approach, seeking North Korea's
full nuclear dismantlement from the start instead of in phases.
North Korea had disabled its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon under a six-party
accord signed in 2007, which laid out phased steps toward complete dismantlement,
but restored most of them as the negotiations fell apart on verifying its atomic
stockpile.
"We must not repeat our mistake of the past 20 years when we allowed the North
Korean nuclear issue to return to its starting point by agreeing to a nuclear
freeze and rewarding the North for such an agreement while ignoring the
fundamental issue of complete nuclear dismantlement," the president said.
A South Korean official accompanying Lee said this was a "salami" strategy by
North Korea, under which it only agrees to "thin slices" of concessions for large
incentives while maintaining most of its nuclear programs intact.
The president said North Korea must not mistake the denuclearization process as a
threat to its regime, but understand it can establish a new relationship with the
world by giving up its nuclear ambitions.
"There is no country in the world that will express any hostility toward North
Korea giving up its nuclear weapons and becoming a member of the international
society," Lee told the luncheon meeting, attended by some 230 members of the
U.S.-based organizations.
On other issues, the South Korean president called for increased cooperation
between his country and its allies, especially the United States, to address
global issues such as climate change, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction.
"Our two countries (South Korea and the U.S.) will now actively work to
contribute more to the resolution of challenges facing the world while promoting
the shared values of the international community," the president said.
Lee also called for the early enactment of a free trade agreement (FTA) signed
between the countries over two years ago, saying the volume of Seoul's bilateral
trade with Washington grew by just 58 percent over the past eight years, during
which Korea's overall trade volume nearly doubled.
"The surest way to significantly expand the economic exchange between South Korea
and the Unites States, an area that has shown a relatively slower growth than
other sectors, is the Korea-U.S. FTA," he said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
