U.S. Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
INDEX
THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2000
Briefer: RICHARD BOUCHER
| ANNOUNCEMENTS | |
| 1 | Secretary Albright's Statement on Conclusion of Inter-Korean Summit |
| KOREA | |
| 1-2 | World Food Program in North Korea |
| 2-5 |
Conclusion of Inter-Korean Summit --Agreements in Pyongyang --Visit to Seoul by Kim Jong-Il |
| 3-4 | Statement by Secretary of State on Inter-Korean Summit |
| 12 | Plans for Future Bilateral Missile Talks |
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
DPB # 59
THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 2000 2:00 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
MR. BOUCHER: ...............
Second of all, just to note for you without reading the entire text, we'll be putting out a statement from the Secretary on the Inter-Korean Summit. She describes the summit and says, "Today is a new day of hope for the future of the Korean Peninsula." So I'm sure you're looking forward to that, and we'll have that available for you shortly after.
QUESTION: Is she hopeful (inaudible)?
MR. BOUCHER: Not right here, no.
The other thing is we'll be putting out a statement on a donation of 50,000 metric tons of surplus US commodities to the World Food Program for its programs in North Korea. And that was something that had been planned and goes ahead based on long-standing policy and the needs that have been identified by the World Food Program.
So with those things, I'll be glad to take your questions.
QUESTION: And you want to say that the food thing has nothing to do with the summit? It's separately -- it's a separate program out of our humanitarian instincts, yes? There are people who think, you know, we helped this along -- let's take a positive view.
MR. BOUCHER: Let's take a positive view.
QUESTION: Does the US help this process by being --
MR. BOUCHER: This specific allocation is not, frankly, directly related to the fact that the summit is occurring. The overall process of assistance is based on our general policy and the needs that the World Food Grant program has identified on the Peninsula. So we're happy to do it at a moment when we also see a major historic event, like the summit, and a breakthrough in reduction of tensions.
QUESTION: But has this decency been a lubricating factor in getting a better relationship going?
MR. BOUCHER: I think we would hope that our willingness to take care of the humanitarian needs that we see in North Korea would contribute also to a better atmosphere on the Peninsula, which is the same thing that President Kim Dae Jung has looked for. He has encouraged this kind of event, and now we have him himself out there doing a major event that reduces tensions on the Peninsula.
QUESTION: Now that you have had 24 or 26 hours to digest the outcome of the Summit, could you give us the evaluation that you couldn't give us yesterday?
MR. BOUCHER: I can give you a little more. I think first is to say that these agreements that were reached can be a turning point. The North and South have agreed to continue dialogue, including a visit to Seoul by Kim Chong-il. The two sides have also agreed to pursue reconciliation peacefully, and these are indeed significant developments for the leaders.
A direct and continuing dialogue between the South and the North is central to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. We are hopeful that the process that the leaders have agreed to in Pyongyang will be implemented quickly and that it will lead to fundamental reduction of tensions in the Korean Peninsula.
President Kim Dae Jung's vision of engagement has been instrumental in breaking new ground at the Summit. His support for the US-North Korea dialogue, for Japan-North Korea dialogue and dialogue between Pyongyang and other nations has also opened the door for this historic step. And we would say that we also welcome the positive steps that Kim Chong-il has taken to bring North Korea out of its isolation.
QUESTION: A senior State Department official last week told us you would be watching Kim Chong-il very closely during these two days. Can you say whether you've drawn any conclusions about his character from his conduct at the summit?
MR. BOUCHER: I think what we would say is we were impressed by the warm reception which Kim Chong-il gave to Kim Dae Jung. I think President Kim Dae Jung himself said he was pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the welcome and some of the steps that were taken, and that obviously applies to us as well. We're also pleased that North Korea's leader demonstrated practical statesmanship as he reached agreement with the South's president on a number of important steps that we think do bode well for the future of the Peninsula.
QUESTION: Have the South Koreans given you any kind of extensive briefing on the talks?
MR. BOUCHER: We have started -- we have had discussions with the South Koreans about the talks. "Extensive" may be going a little too far now. We have consulted with them closely in the past and we continue to consult with them and will have continuing discussions with them.
QUESTION: Do you know whether Kim Dae Jung brought up the missile and nuclear programs which you are so concerned about?
MR. BOUCHER: I think that's a question you would have to ask the Koreans.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) -- the nature of the discussion about the American troop presence in South Korea?
MR. BOUCHER: Again, I don't know that -- I can't give you a full rundown on the briefings as yet. They are not as extensive as we would expect them to be over coming days, as we get a chance to talk to them in more detail.
I would say, however, that we have consulted with them very closely in the run-up to this and we expect to continue to be in very close touch with them.
QUESTION: The Secretary's statement that you mentioned -- and I assume it's longer than that one sentence that you read -- is the rest of it mainly along the lines of your previous answer?
MR. BOUCHER: Yes.
QUESTION: Was that it? Were you reading the statement?
MR. BOUCHER: Just so you know what the Secretary is saying, let me read you her words so that any other questions you want to ask can be based on this as well. She says, "Today is a new day of hope for the future of the Korean Peninsula. The historic summit between the leaders of South and North Korea represents a bold step towards resolving a half century of conflict there.
"I want to congratulate President Kim Dae Jung on his extraordinary achievement and for his patient and wise efforts as he works to achieve our shared objectives of peace and stability. I also want to acknowledge the positive steps that Kim Chong-il is taking to move North Korea out of the isolation of the past, toward an era of reconciliation with the South.
"As President Clinton has said, we have consulted very closely with President Kim Dae Jung, and the United States stands ready to support this process towards lasting peace and full reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. We will continue to stay in close touch in coming days.
"We hope that the good beginning achieved in Pyongyang and the continued dialogue between South and North Korea will build on the agreements reached today and lead to a fundamental reduction of tensions and a peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula."
Thus I quote the words of the Secretary.
QUESTION: Are you going to suspend them again today?
MR. BOUCHER: Can we make sure we have copies available as soon as we finish?
Okay, Barry, sorry. Are we going to be suspending sanctions?
QUESTION: One of the papers thought it was news that you suspended sanctions, as you suspended in September, so I wondered if you suspended anything today you hadn't suspended yesterday?
QUESTION: Or six months ago?
QUESTION: Or six months ago when we had daily briefings attended by some major newspapers?
(Laughter.)
QUESTION: Any new sanctions to suspend?
MR. BOUCHER: We haven't quite suspended the sanctions that we said we suspended in September -- that we said we were going to suspend in September. The President in September announced, on September 17th, 1999, that we were going to ease certain economic sanctions. I expect that we will soon complete the process of implementing that easing of sanctions, and the details will be made available in public as soon as they are ready.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) -- only on them being -- that these -- the new rules being published in the Federal Register?
MR. BOUCHER: Yes. I mean, that's --
QUESTION: Is that basically it?
MR. BOUCHER: That's the actual step of implementing the easing of sanctions.
QUESTION: And that's taken six months? Nine months?
MR. BOUCHER: The process of implementing sanctions, deciding all the details, the general framework fixed by policy but then deciding all the details of regulations and how it affects different contracts, just takes some time. This has been ongoing. The work has been ongoing. We're now almost at the end of it.
QUESTION: Are you accelerating the final stages of this in view of the apparent breakthrough in Korea? Does it affect the time table in any way?
MR. BOUCHER: No, I don't think I'd be able to say that, as much as I would like to.
QUESTION: So, in other words, this was always the timing that was envisioned back in September?
MR. BOUCHER: More or less.
QUESTION: And there's nothing new --
MR. BOUCHER: I don't know that the exact date was set in September, but the amount of time it would take to get the implementation was more or less known.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) -- people are talking, can you give us any of the mechanics of what might be going on on the Middle East peace front today? I mean meetings, Andrews, Bolling.
...................QUESTION: Is a change in the situation with Korea, with the dramatic events of these past few days going to change the threat analysis of --
MR. BOUCHER: We had a fairly extensive discussion of that issue yesterday. We had quite a back and forth on it. I'll stand by what we said yesterday. We need -- we need to make our determinations and our decisions based on the threat.
As much as we welcome the change in atmosphere and the developments on the Peninsula, I wouldn't say today that that threat has changed and we'll have to do an assessment. And the final assessment will be done when the President makes his decision. That's an ongoing process.
................QUESTION: I'd like to go back to North Korea. When will next talks between North Korea and the United States be held? There was an article saying at the end of this month maybe in New York they are going to have a meeting. Is that true?
MR. BOUCHER: I think all we can say at this point is the dates for the next round of talks will be arranged through our New York channel, our contacts with the North Koreans in New York, to schedule things. But we're preparing for the next formal round of bilateral missile talks, and that will take place soon but the dates have to be -- have yet to be set.
QUESTION: (Inaudible) -- Japan, North Korea and United States?
MR. BOUCHER: Those are sort of ongoing at different levels in different ways. I don't think I have a specific trilateral meeting scheduled at this point. But we certainly keep in touch with the South Koreans and the Japanese on an ongoing basis.
................(The briefing was concluded at 2:35 P.M.)
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[end of document]
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