State Department Noon Briefing, October 26
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BRIEFER: PHILIP T. REEKER, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2000 1:30 P.M. (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) Q: North Korea today is quite critical of the US and South Korean joint exercise, and one official goes so far as to say that it is as good as spoiling the good atmosphere created with Secretary Albright's visit. Any comments? MR. REEKER: I think, first, to point out that the ongoing exercises in South Korea are part of regularly scheduled annual exercises and have no connection, obviously, with the Secretary's trip to North Korea. They are intended to maintain the readiness of our forces in South Korea. I would have to refer you to the Pentagon for specifics on that exercise. Certainly the exercise should have absolutely no impact on the progress made during the Secretary's trip and the spirit of working together that we are pursuing with North Korea. Q: But North Korea feels that it does. That's still going to be a problem. MR. REEKER: I've seen some statements. I have nothing to indicate that those statements reflect any change in the statements that they made with the Secretary when she was there with the Chairman. And obviously she is on her way back. She had six hours of serious and constructive talks with Chairman Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang. She had in-depth discussions concerning missile restraint, security issues and diplomatic relations. She met with Vice Marshall Jo, who had previously been here in Washington, and discussed a range of issues from our nonproliferation concerns to terrorism and global issues. I think, as you saw from the briefings that were held, the press conferences that were held, there was important progress made in terms of discussing this range of issues. The Secretary was then in Seoul where she met with President Kim Dae Jung and briefed the South Korean and Japanese Foreign Ministers on her productive trip to North Korea and the productive discussion she had there in Seoul. So I don't think we see these exercises as having any impact on her trip. Q: I didn't say the US side felt so, but if the North Korean Foreign Minister is making statements like that, it indicates the obvious -- there is still a long way to go. MR. REEKER: Well, I just don't have anything to add for you on that. The Secretary is going to return. She has talked about her trip and the talks that she had there. These exercises in question are long-planned annual exercises, which means that they happen every year, and were certainly something that everybody was aware of. .... Q: Is there a date and a place for the next round of missile talks? MR. REEKER: There is not yet, and perhaps waiting for the Secretary and her party to come back. I don't think we would have something this afternoon, but we can certainly check for tomorrow. (The briefing was concluded at 2:10 P.M.)
