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Tracking Number:  438123

Title:  "Lord Remarks at 5/14 Cheju Island Press Briefing." Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Winston Lord discusses Korean peninsula issues. (960520)

Date:  19960520

Text:
TRANSCRIPT: LORD REMARKS AT 5/14 CHEJU ISLAND PRESS BRIEFING (U.S. hopes N.Korea will participate in 4-party talks) (3230)

CHEJU ISLAND, Korea -- The United States hopes that North Korea will agree to participate in the four-party talks proposed by President Clinton and President Kim of the Republic of Korea (ROK), according to Winston Lord, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

"We believe the four-party talks proposed by President Kim and President Clinton in this very place a few weeks ago constitute a very positive step forward by both our governments on behalf of peace," Lord said at a May 14 press conference following a trilateral meeting between the United States, the ROK, and Japan on the North Korea situation. "We hope North Korea will respond, and we think it stands on its own merits and has significant benefits for North Korea as well as the rest of us."

Lord stressed that the future of the Korean Peninsula must be worked out by the Korean peoples themselves, adding that the United States is willing to participate actively in a peace process, but it will not hold talks with North Korea without South Korean participation.

"We will not talk separately about peace," Lord said. "We do hope to improve our relations, but we have also made it very clear from the beginning, and it remains our position, that there must be an improvement in North-South dialogue and relations," he said.

"That is a principle in terms of determination of the future of this peninsula. That is a principle that is enshrined in the 1991 agreement between North and South Korea. That is a principle that we fought hard to make sure was in the Agreed Framework. It is the one aspect of the Agreed Framework that has not so far been implemented. The rest, the nuclear aspects, are going well, and we will continue to pursue that, and that is a major benefit. But the North-South dimension remains unfulfilled, and that is the purpose, among other reasons, of the four-party proposal," Lord said.

Following is a transcript of the press conference, which also included officials from the ROK and Japanese delegations:

(begin transcript)

LORD: On behalf of the American delegation I would like to thank the Korean government and in particular Deputy Minister Chung and his delegation for the gracious hosting of this important event. I would also like to extend my appreciation to Deputy Minister Yanai of Japan and his delegation for their very effective participation. This is an important process of consultation. It began in Hawaii a few months ago, and it will be continued in Japan in a few months, and we look forward to continuing this important process. Thank you.

YANAI: On behalf of the Japanese delegation I would also like to thank the Korean government for having hosted this second round of trilateral consultations in Cheju-Do. My thanks go especially toDeputy Minister Chung and his colleagues, and also to Assistant Secretary Lord and his colleagues. And thanks to the perfect arrangements that the Government of Korea was kind enough to make for us, we were able to have very fruitful and friendly and useful consultations this time. And my government is honored and pleased to have the chance to hold the third round of consultations in a few months time in Japan. Thank you very much.

Q: I am from the Segye Ilbo. I would like to pose this question to Ambassador Lord. Today Nicholas Burns of the State Department announced that the United States will not link the provision of rice assistance to North Korea and also the easing of economic sanctions to North Korea to the four-party talks. So I would like know if it is likely or not that with both rice assistance and easing of economic sanctions on North Korea may take place before the four-party talks actually convene.

LORD: Well first, we believe the four-party talks proposed by President Kim and President Clinton in this very place a few weeks ago constitute a very positive step forward by both our governments on behalf of peace. We hope North Korea will respond, and we think it stands on its own merits and has significant benefits for North Korea as well as for the rest of us. With respect to food aid and sanctions: we have no plans at this time to go forward. We will keep the situation under review.

Q: To Ambassador Chung. I understand that during this meeting you discussed measures on how to persuade North Korea how to come to the four-party talks. I would like to know what sort of inducement, if I may say, you discussed, and what sort of measures you discussed in case North Korea does not come forward; what sort of measures in case North Korea does come forward.

CHUNG: We three discussed and did agree to put our best efforts forward to persuade North Korea to come out to the four-party talks table, but we did not discuss any concrete plan as to the inducement as you have described. But if the four party talk actually takes place, it will of course bring about economic cooperation with North Korea. But more importantly, of course, it will be an opportunity for us to establish permanent peace and a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. And In the process of reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula we did discuss that there will be economic cooperation with North Korea, but we did not discuss in detail what sort of economic cooperation as of yet.

Q: Ambassador Lord, we understand that ever since the proposal of four-party talks, North Korea has constantly been asking for further explanation on what the four-party talks implies. So I would like to know if during the past two days you have discussed your position -- the consensus position -- as to how to react to North Korea's request for further explanations. And we understand that immediately after the four-party talks proposal, there were meetings between State Department officials and the deputy ambassador of North Korea to the United Nations. So I would like to know if there will be further meetings of this kind in the future?

LORD: Of course one of the major subjects on our agenda for these trilateral discussions were some of these issues. The North Koreans have been asking for further explanations. We and South Korea are ready to give briefings, answer questions about our joint proposal. And we discussed today and yesterday how we can go about doing that. There have been in recent weeks, as occur frequently, working level contacts in New York, and we've indicated there, as we have publicly, that we and our allies who put forward this joint proposal are ready to answer any questions the North Koreans would like answered. What we have also made clear throughout, of course, is that we will not talk to the North Koreans directly without the participation of South Korea about peace arrangements. That was reaffirmed in the joint announcement that was made by our two presidents. But we do hope they will respond to this constructive offer and sit down with South Korea and sit down with the U.S., and hopefully the Chinese participating, and move toward a more peaceful peninsula.

Q: My name is (inaudible) from NHK. This is for Ambassador Lord. (inaudible) tough question regarding the lifting of economic sanctions. According to the statements of Mr. Burns Monday, you have been reviewing the issue of using sanctions against North Korea. Is that a basic change of your position? And the second question: if there is an emergency appeal from the United Nations for aid for North Korea, are you ready to answer it?

LORD: On the first question with respect to sanctions, there has been no change in our basic approach. We have said from the beginning that we would consider further easing of sanctions in response to effective implementation of the Agreed Framework and progress on other areas of concern. As I've already indicated, we have no plans to ease sanctions at this juncture. On respect to food aid, we will continually keep the situation under review. As on so many other issues we will consult closely with our Japanese and South Korean colleagues. We have no plans at this point to provide food assistance, but we continually keep the situation under review and talk to our friends about it.

Q: Ambassador Lord, as a follow-up question you just mentioned that from the beginning the United States has considered whether or not to ease sanctions against North Korea based on how North Korea responds to the Agreed Framework contents and other relevant issues. But I would like to know if these other issues actually include whether or not North Korea comes out to the four-party talks. Is this in this way linked?

LORD: Under the Agreed Framework, the U.S. is expected to consider economic as well as other progress with North Korea as the Agreed Framework is implemented. And indeed in the early months of the implementation to the Agreed Framework, we took some modest, but significant steps forward to ease sanctions in line with our obligations. As I've just said, we will continue to follow a policy of considering the easing of sanctions in response to continued implementation of the Agreed Framework as well as other areas of concern that we're talking to the North Koreans about. Obviously, the whole area of economic cooperation, easing of economic restrictions, as already indicated by my Korean colleague, is something that would naturally come up in the four-party talks if we could ever get to that point, so let us hope we can have a positive response to the joint proposal of our two presidents.

Q: To Ambassador Yanai. I am from Naewoe Economic Daily News. I got the news that North Korea recently came to Japan with an urgent request for further rice assistance, and my understanding is that the initial response of the Japanese Government was that it will consider it in a positive manner. So I would like you here to clear it for us: what is the response or your position regarding this urgent request, and if by any chance the four-party talks will be linked to the North Korea-Japan normalization of relations.

YANAI: As to the first question concerning food aid, or the food situation, as Ambassador Lord stated a few minutes ago, we have no plans to extend new food assistance. As to the food situation, we exchanged views on this issue, and we will keep the food situation under review. We hear from different sources that the food situation in North Korea is quite severe, but as I said we will keep the food situation under review, and I repeat that we have no plans to extend food assistance as of now. As to the four-party meeting proposal, as you know, Prime Minister Hashimoto supported this very important proposal immediately after the proposal was made on April 16 in this place. And we think that this proposal as referred to in the joint press statement is the most practical means of replacing the current armistice regime with a permanent peace regime in the Korean Peninsula. So I think this proposal should be considered by the North Korean side on Its own merits. So this our position.

Q: To both Ambassador Lord and Ambassador Yanai. I understand it was the agreed consensus on the part of the United States and South Korea previously that any improvement of relations between the United States and North Korea has to be coordinated and has to be pursued parallel with improvement of relations between South Korea and North Korea. But we understand that the Cheju-Do joint summit and that proposal which actually says that the peace regime will be talked between of course South and North Korea, but other bilateral relations will be pursued on a separate track actually undermines this principle of coordination and parallelism. And then today, even while you were reading the joint announcement, we did not hear any comment or emphasis on how the improvement of relations between the United States and North Korea has to be parallel and coordinated with North-South improvement of relations. So I would like to ask if that principle that we thought was agreed upon between the United States and Korea is still effective. And also to Ambassador Yanai, do you also think that this principle will be pursued in terms of improving any relations between Japan And North Korea?

LORD: There is no change in the U.S. position. It has been consistent from the beginning and it will continue. Namely, the future of the peninsula must be worked out by the Korean peoples, between North and South Korea, directly talking to each other. We are prepared to participate actively, as we have put forward in the joint proposal by our two presidents. And that remains a very firm principle. We will not talk separately about peace. We will actively participate with the two Koreas and hopefully the Chinese.

And I might add that even though it is a four-power proposal, both the Koreans and we fully agree that Japan has a very important role to play. It's already played a very important role diplomatically, politically and financially, and so we're going to maintain the closest contact, as symbolized by these consultations. And there are other countries with legitimate interests as well, including Russia, for example.

With respect to our own contacts with North Korea, we would like to improve relations with North Korea. So would South Korea. So would Japan, I'm sure -- let them speak for themselves. We have talked to North Korea about a range of issues. We've just reached an agreement on remains. We have had the first round of talks on missile limitations, and those will continue. We have talked about other issues designed to implement the Agreed Framework, and such talks will continue. We do hope to improve our relations. But we have also made it very clear from the beginning, and it remains our position, that there must be an improvement in North-South dialogue and relations. That is a principle in terms of determination of the future of this peninsula. That is a principle that is enshrined in the 1991 agreement between North and South Korea. That is a principle that we fought hard to make sure was in the Agreed Framework. It is the one aspect of the Agreed Framework that has not so far been implemented.

The rest, the nuclear aspects, are going well, and we will continue to pursue that, and that is a major benefit. But the North-South dimension remains unfulfilled, and that is the purpose, among other reasons, of the four-party proposal. So of course we will consult closely with our Korean and Japanese friends about our relations with North Korea. I repeat, we would like to improve relations with North Korea. That'll take mutual efforts by both sides, and that process can only go forward so far without progress in North-South relations, so of course, there is a parallel aspect to this process.

YANAI: Thank you. Our policy regarding Japan-North Korea relations is that Japan intends to deal with this matter in close contact with the Republic of Korea, the United States and other countries concerned, taking into consideration two aspects: on the one hand to rectify the anomalous relations between Japan and North Korea after World War II, and, on the other hand, to contribute to the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. On the last point I would like to add that we believe that direct dialogue and agreement between the Koreans of South and North are indispensable to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. So we have expressed our position on many occasions, both publicly and privately, and we will continue to do so in the future.

Q: Mr. Lord, you mentioned that to North Korea's request for further explanation on the four-party talks, the United States and South Korea will jointly answer that. He wanted to know if this means that there will take place a three-party contact between the United States, Korea and North Korea. If there are, when will they take place, who will be the representatives there, and did you discuss it in this meeting.

CHUNG: This does not mean a three-party contact of any means, it will just be a venue for explanations since North Korea has frequently said it was curious on several aspects of the four-party talks, so we will just go forward and explain it. And since this was a proposal jointly proposed by the United States and South Korea, I think it is just obvious that we jointly answer those questions. So this will not constitute by any means any contact or consultations.

Q: To Ambassador Lord. I understand that when you go back to Seoul you will be meeting with our foreign minister and our president's senior secretary for diplomacy and security. Will you be carrying with you any new message that you did not disclose to us at this venue here, and what actually is the purpose of holding this separate meeting with our minister and our senior secretary to the president. And I also understand that immediately there will take place a U.S.-North Korea talk or meeting regarding the implementation of the Agreed Framework -- I would like to know when it will take place and where?

LORD: I have no new messages to carry to Seoul. We will continue the consultations on many of the issues that we discussed here in Cheju. Having come this far to meet with my colleagues here in Cheju, I thought it was only natural that I go on to the capital and have access, and I am honored to have the chance to meet with several high-level officials in Seoul. I will of course bring messages of friendship from my own leaders in Washington. But aside from that, I imagine the agenda will be quite similar, although we may wish to talk about other issues in our bilateral relations beyond the four-power talks. We have a very extensive economic, security and diplomatic relationship. We cooperate not only bilaterally, but in many regional organizations, and indeed global organizations. So there is a great deal to talk about, and I very much look forward to these meetings. We have no plans at this point for another meeting on the Agreed Framework. We are always prepared to continue to implement that Framework, and we have done that. We have had some talks recently at the working level, as we explained, responding to North Korean inquiries with respect to the four-party proposal. And as we affirmed today, we and the South Koreans are ready at any time to explain this joint proposal further to the North Koreans.

CHUNG: Thank you.

(end transcript) NNNN

File Identification:  05/20/96, EPF104; 05/20/96, AXF104
Product Name:  Wireless File
Product Code:  WF
Keywords:  PRESS CONFERENCES; LORD, WINSTON/Speaker; KOREA (NORTH)-KOREA (SOUTH) RELATIONS; KOREA (SOUTH)-US RELATIONS; KOREA (NORTH)-US RELATIONS; NEGOTIATIONS; SANCTIONS; FOOD AID; KOREA (NORTH)-JAPAN RELATIONS
Document Type:  TRA
Thematic Codes:  1EA
Target Areas:  EA; AF
PDQ Text Link:  438123
USIA Notes:  *96052004.EPF