ID :
65587
Sat, 06/13/2009 - 13:44
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/65587
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean president calls for new approach to six-way talks
S. Korean president calls for new approach to six-way talks
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak wants a new
approach towards the often-troubled six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear
program and he plans to discuss some ideas for the future of the process in his
forthcoming summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, according his latest press
interview published Saturday.
"I fully support President Obama's call to have a world without nuclear weapons .
. . But in the meantime we are faced with North Korea trying to become a nuclear
power and this really is a question we must deal with now," he was quoted as
saying by the Wall Street Journal.
Lee had the interview on Friday, a day before the U.N. Security Council
unanimously endorsed a new resolution to punish North Korea for its nuclear test
on May 25. Resolution 1874 calls for a set of tougher cargo inspection, tighter
arms embargo, and stronger financial sanctions.
In protest at the U.N. action, North Korea announced later Saturday that it will
start enriching uranium and weaponize all of its fresh plutonium. It also
threatened to respond militarily to any U.S-led "blockade" attempt, the word the
North often uses to describe cargo searches under the U.S.-led nonproliferation
efforts.
The South Korean president took a dim view of the outcome of the six-way talks
aimed at ending the secretive nation's nuclear program. The talks, which began in
2003, also involve the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan.
"The North Koreans have gained, or bought, a lot of time through the
six-party-talks framework to pursue their own agenda. I think it's important now,
at this critical point in time, for us not to repeat any past mistakes," he told
the journal.
It is very important for the remaining five countries -- which exclude North
Korea -- to come to an agreement on the way forward, he added.
The White House said that the North Korean issue will be the top agenda item in
the summit between Lee and Obama in Washington next Tuesday.
With regard to the troubled inter-Korean factory town in Kaesong, Lee said if it
is shut down, both South and North Korea will be dealt a blow.
North Korea is demanding South Korean firms increase monthly wages for North
Korean workers there to US$300 from the current average of US$75.
The two sides are scheduled to hold another meeting on the matter next Friday.
In case that the complex is closed, Lee said, "I think the loss on the side of
the North Koreans will be much more dramatic and much more severe, because 40,000
North Korean workers will lose their jobs."
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak wants a new
approach towards the often-troubled six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear
program and he plans to discuss some ideas for the future of the process in his
forthcoming summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, according his latest press
interview published Saturday.
"I fully support President Obama's call to have a world without nuclear weapons .
. . But in the meantime we are faced with North Korea trying to become a nuclear
power and this really is a question we must deal with now," he was quoted as
saying by the Wall Street Journal.
Lee had the interview on Friday, a day before the U.N. Security Council
unanimously endorsed a new resolution to punish North Korea for its nuclear test
on May 25. Resolution 1874 calls for a set of tougher cargo inspection, tighter
arms embargo, and stronger financial sanctions.
In protest at the U.N. action, North Korea announced later Saturday that it will
start enriching uranium and weaponize all of its fresh plutonium. It also
threatened to respond militarily to any U.S-led "blockade" attempt, the word the
North often uses to describe cargo searches under the U.S.-led nonproliferation
efforts.
The South Korean president took a dim view of the outcome of the six-way talks
aimed at ending the secretive nation's nuclear program. The talks, which began in
2003, also involve the U.S., China, Russia, and Japan.
"The North Koreans have gained, or bought, a lot of time through the
six-party-talks framework to pursue their own agenda. I think it's important now,
at this critical point in time, for us not to repeat any past mistakes," he told
the journal.
It is very important for the remaining five countries -- which exclude North
Korea -- to come to an agreement on the way forward, he added.
The White House said that the North Korean issue will be the top agenda item in
the summit between Lee and Obama in Washington next Tuesday.
With regard to the troubled inter-Korean factory town in Kaesong, Lee said if it
is shut down, both South and North Korea will be dealt a blow.
North Korea is demanding South Korean firms increase monthly wages for North
Korean workers there to US$300 from the current average of US$75.
The two sides are scheduled to hold another meeting on the matter next Friday.
In case that the complex is closed, Lee said, "I think the loss on the side of
the North Koreans will be much more dramatic and much more severe, because 40,000
North Korean workers will lose their jobs."
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
