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Daily Press Briefing
Richard Boucher, Spokesman
Washington, DC
December 6, 2002

INDEX:

(...)

QUESTION: Do you give us more further details about Mr. Armitage's visit to Asia? I think he's going to leave tomorrow. And the second question is do you expect the KEDO executive board next week? That is the second part of my question.

MR. BOUCHER: I don't think I have anything more on Mr. Armitage's visit. I think we put out the basics and then we'll let his visit proceed and he'll pass on what he wants to as he goes.

On the KEDO Board -- it's around here somewhere -- the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization had anticipated holding a board meeting in December. Due to end-of-the-year scheduling conflicts, board members decided to postpone their meeting until early next year. They will continue to stay in touch with each other and consult with each other on the next steps.

Remember, the board stated in their November statement that they're reviewing all their activities with North Korea, and so they'll continue to be in touch on that and will meet with each other in January -- sorry, early next year.

QUESTION: No reconsideration of the fuel shipments in the meantime?

MR. BOUCHER: No, no. The statement was clear.

QUESTION: It sounds like a rather feeble excuse for a political decision, but, so, can you expand on those scheduling difficulties, scheduling difficulties that you refer to?

MR. BOUCHER: It sounds like rather an over-exaggerated sense of political reasons behind what is simply an end-of-the-year scheduling decision.

QUESTION: Does this mean -- this meeting was going to examine the future of the light water reactor project, was it not?

MR. BOUCHER: As I said, end-of-the-year scheduling questions led them to decide to postpone their meeting until early next year.

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. BOUCHER: That's all there is to say on the subject.

QUESTION: What was this meeting going to do if it were to take -- if it were still to take place next week?

MR. BOUCHER: I'm sure they'll discuss next steps with regard to North Korea, but at this point I don't have any more specifics on that.

QUESTION: Yes. Turkish Justice and Development Party leader, Mr. Erdogan, is coming to Washington, D.C., next week, and I believe he will meet with President Bush about the Iraq subject. And do you think the Secretary has a separate meeting with him or he will join the President?

MR. BOUCHER: I'll have to talk about that at the appropriate time. I don't have anything on meetings quite yet.

(...)

QUESTION: My question is SOFA issue in Korea, South Korea and Japan. Yesterday, Korean Defense Minister met Rumsfeld and regarding the SOFA issue, the US, the United States, seems to be unwilling to advise what amend actual SOFA. But some in Korea express their disappointment. So without revising SOFA is it possible to improve station or relation between US forces in Korea and the Korean people? And another question is -- Japan. Is that okay?

MR. BOUCHER: Let me answer your first question first --

QUESTION: Okay.

MR. BOUCHER: -- and to say, look, the issue of the SOFA and the status of our forces in Korea, including our desire to work cooperatively with the Korean Government and the Korean people while we're there, supporting our joint interests in defending Korea, those are issues we've discussed many times. I think our views are quite well known. The Secretary has talked about it during his visits to Korea and has had discussions with the Korean Government about some of the specifics and just our general desire to want to do this together with the South Koreans and in the best possible manner.

As far as any specifics of SOFAs and other steps that might have been discussed at the meeting at the Pentagon, I would really have to leave you to the Pentagon to ask over there about that.

(...)
[End]