Tracking Number: 314039
Title: "Clinton Urges North Korea Not to Block Nuclear Inspections." President Clinton warned North Korea it risks increased international pressure if it persists in blocking
inspection of its nuclear facilities, but also offered to re-examine, with South Korea, security arrangements on the Korean peninsula if Pyongyang renounces nuclear weapons. (931123)
Translated Title: La Coree du Nord et les
inspections de l'AIEA. (931123)
Author: SULLIVAN, ALEXANDER M (USIA STAFF WRITER); DYBVIK, RUSSELL E (USIA STAFF WRITER)
Date: 19931123
Text:
CLINTON URGES NORTH KOREA NOT TO BLOCK NUCLEAR
INSPECTIONS
(Confers with South Korean leader at White House) (1190) By Alexander Sullivan and Russell Dybvik USIA Staff Correspondents Washington -- President Clinton warned North Korea November 23 it risks increased international pressure if it persists in blocking inspection of its nuclear facilities.
At the same time, the president offered to re-examine, with South Korea, security arrangements on the Korean Peninsula if Pyongyang renounces nuclear weapons. North Korea must "resume serious dialogue" with South Korea on reconciliation issues, Clinton said.
The president said his offer amounts to a proposal to settle the nuclear matter and other divisive issues through a "thorough, broad approach" to security and other challenges. Clinton said the "thorough, broad approach" phrase had been worked out with South Korean President Kim Young Sam as a description of the common position toward Pyongyang.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Kim, Clinton denied his offer to North Korea represents any weakening of U.S. policy, which supports a non-nuclear Korean Peninsula. North Korea is presently in violation of its treaty obligations to allow inspection of nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and, according to news accounts, has been massing forces near the De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) separating it from South Korea.
Nuclear inspection is needed to assure that facilities intended for peaceful use are not diverted to weapons production.
Clinton agreed that time constraints are driving resolution of the nuclear issue, although he did not specifically embrace the time frame of one to two months cited by IAEA inspectors. The inspectors asserted that after that time, they will no longer be able to certify that North Korea is not engaged in a nuclear weapons program.
"There is some time sensitivity to this," Clinton said, "based on what we hear from the IAEA inspectors. That's the reason we're coming forward now and trying to make another good faith effort to reach out and reason with them (North Koreans)."
The president told a reporter he knows "of no one who seriously believes that the United States and the Republic of Korea would be defeated in a war of aggression by North Korea if they were to attack. I made it as clear as I could that if they were to do that they would pay a price so great that the nation would probably not survive."
He said both he and Kim are "concerned" about North Korea's "concentration of forces" near the DMZ and "by its refusal to grant international inspectors full access to its nuclear sites." Clinton said he had "reaffirmed" for Kim "America's unyielding commitment to South Korea's security."
Washington has made clear to Pyongyang, he said, the fact that it "faces a simple choice: if it abandons its nuclear option and honors its international non-proliferation commitments, the door will be open on a wide range of issues, not only with the United States but with the rest of the world. If it does not, it risks facing the increased opposition of the entire international community."
He said the U.S. goals are equally clear -- "a non-nuclear peninsula and a strong international non-proliferation regime. To these ends we are prepared to discuss with North Korea a thorough, broad approach to the issues that divide us and, once and for all, to resolve the nuclear issue. But we cannot do that in the absence of a dialogue between North and South Korea -- and while there is still growing doubt about the continuity of IAEA safeguards."
The president said North Korea is being asked to make two concessions, but he pointed out Pyongyang had already made commitments to do both. He said there has been "no decision" and "no commitment" on next year's Team Spirit joint military exercise with South Korea. Some news reports have quoted administration officials as suggesting that the exercise will be canceled if Pyongyang agrees to nuclear inspections.
Asked why Pyongyang should accept the Washington-Seoul initiative when it appeared a concession reported by the media has been withdrawn, the president noted that "any gesture, any move we make, must be based on our appreciation of what the security situation is. They are the ones who are out of line with international law and their own commitments. We can't make any decisions about what we would do, until we see what they will do. That's all we're saying. But we have clearly...given them a chance to broaden the dialogue. We'll have to see if they take us up on it."
Clinton explained that Washington and Seoul "needed to make it clear" that all security matters would be considered in the context of North Korea's nuclear stance, adding, "I don't consider that weakening our position, or changing it ....We want to diminish military tensions in the area (and) that has to begin by the willingness of North Korea to allow the inspections and to resume the dialogue."
He called North Korea's continuing military threat and its nuclear program "serious challenges" to both Washington and Seoul, but he noted the allies have overcome similar problems in the past. Clinton said he looked forward to working with Kim on economic issues "and important issues of security."
Clinton said he and Kim conducted "far-ranging and highly productive" discussions, covering a review of the weekend meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and broader trade matters. "Our economic cooperation," Clinton said, "will be especially vital as both our nations seek to achieve a new GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) agreement in the next few weeks."
Meanwhile, at the State Department, spokesman Michael McCurry explained why the United States prefers to pursue a resolution of the nuclear issue through diplomatic channels with North Korea rather than seeking United Nations sanctions.
"It's been our feeling for some time that a diplomatic approach is the one that offers the best chance of success," he said, noting that Secretary of State Christopher has described the North Korean government as one "that's living in something of a time warp. That means there's a certain amount of unpredictability associated with the regime."
"When you're engaged diplomatically in dialogue trying to resolve a problem, we have some better degree of certainty than would we under a regime of sanctions which are designed to isolate further a state that is at odds with the international community," he explained. "The simple fact is, you don't know what their response would be.
"You have a better chance, through diplomatic dialogue, of understanding what the disposition of a government would be," the spokesman said. "That's the point of favoring a diplomatic pathway as opposed to taking action through the United Nations."
While acknowledging there have been "contacts" with North Korea, McCurry said he "wouldn't suggest we have any guarantee that the approach is likely to be a successful one because, as the president made clear, success depends on their willingness to move forward." The last time the United States had a mid-level meeting with North Korean officials was "several weeks ago" at the United Nations, he noted.
NNNN
File Identification: 11/23/93, POL205; 11/23/93, EPF206; 11/23/93, EUR205; 11/23/93, LEF225; 11/23/93, NEA208; 11/23/93, POL208; 11/24/93, AEF309; 11/24/93, ERF308; 11/26/93, AFF507
Product Name: Wireless
File
Product Code: WF
Languages: Russian; French
Keywords: KOREA (NORTH)-KOREA (SOUTH) RELATIONS; CLINTON, BILL/Foreign Relations: East Asia & Pacific; KOREA (NORTH)-US RELATIONS/Policy;
KOREA (NORTH)/Defense & Military; INSPECTIONS; ARMS CONTROL VERIFICATION; NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATIO
Thematic Codes: 1EA; 1AC; 1UN
Target Areas: EA; EU; AR; NE; AF
PDQ Text Link: 314039; 314182; 314551
USIA Notes: *93112305.POL
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
