ID :
191375
Mon, 06/27/2011 - 17:27
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/191375
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S. Korea separates apology demand from nuclear talks with N. Korea: official
(ATTN: UPDATES with comment by foreign minister in 5th para)
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea is willing to hold a bilateral meeting with North Korea on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula before resuming multilateral denuclearization talks, separating it from its adamant demand for an apology over last year's deadly attacks, a senior government official said Monday.
The remark by the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, came after a flurry of diplomacy among South Korea, the U.S., China and other regional players to reopen stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear programs. Improved inter-Korean relations are a key prerequisite for resuming the six-party forum which also involves Japan and Russia.
Inter-Korean tensions soared to their highest level in years in 2010 following the North's two attacks -- the sinking of the Cheonan warship and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. In between the attacks, Pyongyang also revealed its new uranium enrichment facility.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed in Washington last week that Seoul and Pyongyang must hold bilateral talks ahead of any move to reopen the six-party talks, urging the North to show its sincerity toward denuclearization through concrete actions.
Kim told a local radio station on Monday that it is hard to believe the resumption of the nuclear talks is imminent.
Since early this year, South Korea has proposed holding bilateral talks with North Korea to gauge its sincerity on denuclearization, but Pyongyang has yet to respond to the offer.
"The issues of the Cheonan warship and Yeonpyeong Island are not a prerequisite for the proposed denuclearization talks between South and North Korea," said the official, who recently held consultations with the U.S. over the North's nuclear issue.
"If North Korea accepts, the talks could immediately open," the official said.
When asked about an apology from the North over the two attacks, the official indicated that South Korea could discuss the issue with North Korea at another bilateral meeting, such as inter-Korean military talks or through other channels.
"Our stance is that we are always open to a dialogue," the official said, adding Seoul expects Pyongyang to "positively" respond to the proposal to hold inter-Korean talks on denuclearization.
South Korea is pitching a three-step approach to the stalled six-party talks. It calls for North Korea to meet South Korea first and then the U.S. before reopening the multilateral forum that has been dormant for more than two years.
Still, the prospects for holding inter-Korean talks on denuclearization remain uncertain since North Korea has so far used its nuclear weapons programs as important leverage to improve ties with the U.S., not South Korea.
Regional powers are also wary of the North's intention to return to the multilateral talks, given its pattern of carrying out provocations and then winning concessions through negotiations.
Further complicating efforts for resuming the six-party talks, North Korea has said since late last month that it won't deal with South Korea, and vowed indiscriminate retaliation against the South's military for its use of headshot photos of the North's top leaders as targets for shooting practice.
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korea is willing to hold a bilateral meeting with North Korea on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula before resuming multilateral denuclearization talks, separating it from its adamant demand for an apology over last year's deadly attacks, a senior government official said Monday.
The remark by the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, came after a flurry of diplomacy among South Korea, the U.S., China and other regional players to reopen stalled six-party talks on the North's nuclear programs. Improved inter-Korean relations are a key prerequisite for resuming the six-party forum which also involves Japan and Russia.
Inter-Korean tensions soared to their highest level in years in 2010 following the North's two attacks -- the sinking of the Cheonan warship and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. In between the attacks, Pyongyang also revealed its new uranium enrichment facility.
South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed in Washington last week that Seoul and Pyongyang must hold bilateral talks ahead of any move to reopen the six-party talks, urging the North to show its sincerity toward denuclearization through concrete actions.
Kim told a local radio station on Monday that it is hard to believe the resumption of the nuclear talks is imminent.
Since early this year, South Korea has proposed holding bilateral talks with North Korea to gauge its sincerity on denuclearization, but Pyongyang has yet to respond to the offer.
"The issues of the Cheonan warship and Yeonpyeong Island are not a prerequisite for the proposed denuclearization talks between South and North Korea," said the official, who recently held consultations with the U.S. over the North's nuclear issue.
"If North Korea accepts, the talks could immediately open," the official said.
When asked about an apology from the North over the two attacks, the official indicated that South Korea could discuss the issue with North Korea at another bilateral meeting, such as inter-Korean military talks or through other channels.
"Our stance is that we are always open to a dialogue," the official said, adding Seoul expects Pyongyang to "positively" respond to the proposal to hold inter-Korean talks on denuclearization.
South Korea is pitching a three-step approach to the stalled six-party talks. It calls for North Korea to meet South Korea first and then the U.S. before reopening the multilateral forum that has been dormant for more than two years.
Still, the prospects for holding inter-Korean talks on denuclearization remain uncertain since North Korea has so far used its nuclear weapons programs as important leverage to improve ties with the U.S., not South Korea.
Regional powers are also wary of the North's intention to return to the multilateral talks, given its pattern of carrying out provocations and then winning concessions through negotiations.
Further complicating efforts for resuming the six-party talks, North Korea has said since late last month that it won't deal with South Korea, and vowed indiscriminate retaliation against the South's military for its use of headshot photos of the North's top leaders as targets for shooting practice.
