DATE=4/27/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=NORTH-SOUTH KOREA SUMMIT (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-261761
BYLINE=HYUN-SUNG KHANG
DATELINE=SEOUL
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: South Korea says it has reached agreement with
North Korea on most of the procedural details for the
forthcoming summit between their leaders. But Hyun-
Sung Khang reports from Seoul, crucial decisions
concerning the agenda are still to be made.
TEXT: South Korea's chief negotiator says the second
preparatory meeting for the June summit yielded
results. Following Thursday's meeting Yang Young Shik
said the talks were conducted in a "productive" manner
and significant progress was made on procedural
matters. They include security, communications and
the size of diplomatic delegations and press corps.
The optimistic tone was echoed by North Korea. The
state-run Korean Central News Agency described the
discussions as "sincere" and said Pyongyang's
representative, Kim Ryong Song, outlined the North's
proposals for the agenda at the talks.
After watching the discussions on closed-circuit
television, South Korea's Unification Minister Park
Jae-kyu said the two Koreas are close to agreement on
the agenda for the June 12th through 14th summit. He
added the two sides will try to make an announcement
at the next preparatory meeting.
Although details of the pre-summit discussions are not
being made public, in the past Pyongyang has wanted to
talk about its demands for the withdrawal of the 37-
thousand U-S troops in South Korea and abolition of
Seoul's strict anti-Communist national security law.
But South Korean officials say the summit will be
placed in jeopardy if North Korea insists the topics
be included on the agenda. Seoul has proposed four
major issues for discussion: economic cooperation, the
end of Cold War structures, continuing dialogue and
the reunion of families separated by the division of
the peninsula. South Korea's negotiator says his
counterpart has "shown understanding" about Seoul's
position on the issue of family reunions.
The June Summit will be the first ever meeting between
leaders of the two countries, since they were divided
in 1945. South Korean President, Kim Dae Jung will
travel to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, to meet
the North's leader, Kim Jong-Il. The South Korean
government says the meeting is a result of the
President's "Sunshine policy" of engagement with the
North, although technically the two Koreas are still
in a state of war since they never signed a peace
treaty following the 1950-1953 Korean civil conflict.
Following this second round of preparatory talks, the
delegates have arranged to meet again next Wednesday.
NEB/SHK/FC/PLM
27-Apr-2000 05:43 AM EDT (27-Apr-2000 0943 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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