ID :
207234
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 05:31
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https://oananews.org//node/207234
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President Lee Says Gas Pipeline Project Could Proceed 'Faster Than Expected'
NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak said on Sept. 8 that a massive gas pipeline project involving Russia and the two Koreas could move forward "faster than expected" as it would benefit all sides involved.
"North Korea and Russia are in talks and we are also in talks with Russia. There will be a point where the three parties reach an agreement. I think it will proceed faster than expected," Lee said during a panel discussion televised live nationwide. "It will be great if the project materializes."
The ambitious project to build a transnational pipeline shipping Siberian natural gas to South Korea via the socialist North has gained momentum in recent weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed the project with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his trip to Russia in August.
The two sides said later that they agreed to set up a joint committee to push for the project.
Russia's presidential envoy to the Far East Federal District, Viktor Ishaev, also said that the North's leader agreed to permit the envisioned pipeline to go through its territory if Russia and South Korea sign a contract on the project, according to a news report.
On the possibility of a summit with the North, Lee said he is always open to a meeting with the North's leader, but the communist nation should first demonstrate its commitment to peace on the divided peninsula and pledge not to make further provocations.
"I may or may not hold an inter-Korean summit during my term," Lee said. "If a summit is going to be held, there should be a guarantee that (North Korea) will bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and won't make provocations."
Lee also expressed skepticism about the usefulness of a summit with Pyongyang, saying that the communist nation kept committing provocations in waters near the western sea border despite the previous two rounds of summit talks with the South.
Lee also said that he wants to help North Korea revive its broken economy and maintain its security.
"I can hold (an inter-Korean summit) at any time if it helps open peace and prosperity between the two Koreas," he said.
Relations between the two Koreas have been tense since Lee took office with a pledge to link aid to the impoverished neighbor to progress in efforts to end its nuclear programs. The already-frayed ties plunged to the lowest levels in decades after the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year.
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Seoul Urges Pyongyang to Facilitate Family Reunions
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea said on Sept. 12 that it is making efforts to resolve the issue of reunions for family members separated six decades ago by the Korean War, urging North Korea to help facilitate them as well.
"The family reunions are a issue that must be resolved as a top priority, and the government is pushing to resolve it regardless of political hurdles," Vice Unification Minister Um Jong-sik said during a memorial service for ancestors held by a group of family members separated by the war.
The vice minister also called on Pyongyang to take steps toward resolving the issue, which has been stalled due to heightened tensions after last year's two deadly attacks by the North.
The two Koreas held more than a dozen rounds of reunions after a landmark summit in 2000, bringing together tens of thousands of family members whom have not seen each other since the war.
The two sides have usually staged the reunions around Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving holiday that is celebrated in both countries, and other important national holidays.
There are no direct means of contact between the civilians of the two countries, which remain divided by a heavily fortified border.
Millions of Koreans have been separated from their family members since the war, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. More than 21,000 have been reunited either face-to-face or via video since the 2000 summit.
But tensions persist between the two Koreas over Pyongyang's two deadly attacks on the South last year that killed 50 South Koreans. The North has refused to take responsibility for the attacks.
Hopes are rising since Yu Woo-ik, a former ambassador to China, was recently named to replace hard-line minister Hyun In-taek. Yu has vowed to adopt a flexible policy toward the communist neighbor.
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak said on Sept. 8 that a massive gas pipeline project involving Russia and the two Koreas could move forward "faster than expected" as it would benefit all sides involved.
"North Korea and Russia are in talks and we are also in talks with Russia. There will be a point where the three parties reach an agreement. I think it will proceed faster than expected," Lee said during a panel discussion televised live nationwide. "It will be great if the project materializes."
The ambitious project to build a transnational pipeline shipping Siberian natural gas to South Korea via the socialist North has gained momentum in recent weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il discussed the project with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during his trip to Russia in August.
The two sides said later that they agreed to set up a joint committee to push for the project.
Russia's presidential envoy to the Far East Federal District, Viktor Ishaev, also said that the North's leader agreed to permit the envisioned pipeline to go through its territory if Russia and South Korea sign a contract on the project, according to a news report.
On the possibility of a summit with the North, Lee said he is always open to a meeting with the North's leader, but the communist nation should first demonstrate its commitment to peace on the divided peninsula and pledge not to make further provocations.
"I may or may not hold an inter-Korean summit during my term," Lee said. "If a summit is going to be held, there should be a guarantee that (North Korea) will bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and won't make provocations."
Lee also expressed skepticism about the usefulness of a summit with Pyongyang, saying that the communist nation kept committing provocations in waters near the western sea border despite the previous two rounds of summit talks with the South.
Lee also said that he wants to help North Korea revive its broken economy and maintain its security.
"I can hold (an inter-Korean summit) at any time if it helps open peace and prosperity between the two Koreas," he said.
Relations between the two Koreas have been tense since Lee took office with a pledge to link aid to the impoverished neighbor to progress in efforts to end its nuclear programs. The already-frayed ties plunged to the lowest levels in decades after the North's two deadly attacks on the South last year.
------------------------
Seoul Urges Pyongyang to Facilitate Family Reunions
SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea said on Sept. 12 that it is making efforts to resolve the issue of reunions for family members separated six decades ago by the Korean War, urging North Korea to help facilitate them as well.
"The family reunions are a issue that must be resolved as a top priority, and the government is pushing to resolve it regardless of political hurdles," Vice Unification Minister Um Jong-sik said during a memorial service for ancestors held by a group of family members separated by the war.
The vice minister also called on Pyongyang to take steps toward resolving the issue, which has been stalled due to heightened tensions after last year's two deadly attacks by the North.
The two Koreas held more than a dozen rounds of reunions after a landmark summit in 2000, bringing together tens of thousands of family members whom have not seen each other since the war.
The two sides have usually staged the reunions around Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving holiday that is celebrated in both countries, and other important national holidays.
There are no direct means of contact between the civilians of the two countries, which remain divided by a heavily fortified border.
Millions of Koreans have been separated from their family members since the war, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. More than 21,000 have been reunited either face-to-face or via video since the 2000 summit.
But tensions persist between the two Koreas over Pyongyang's two deadly attacks on the South last year that killed 50 South Koreans. The North has refused to take responsibility for the attacks.
Hopes are rising since Yu Woo-ik, a former ambassador to China, was recently named to replace hard-line minister Hyun In-taek. Yu has vowed to adopt a flexible policy toward the communist neighbor.
