U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
Briefer: Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2000 1:50 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
Q: And if I can ask a question on North Korea, there are reports that
the President of North Korea now says he was just kidding when he had
talked to Putin about stopping their missile program. So how do you
assess that statement, and does that have any impact on what the US is
trying to do?
MR. REEKER: We discussed this at some length yesterday. We continue to
see various and contradictory reports in the press of what Kim Jong-il
told the South Korean media officials when he met with them last
Saturday. I think, if nothing else, the reports of that interview
demonstrate the uncertainty surrounding the proposal regarding
missiles that Kim was said to have made during the visit of President
Putin, Russian President Putin, in Pyongyang.
I'll reiterate, as we've done before, that when Secretary Albright met
with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek in Bangkok last month, she was
not able to glean any particular information about what proposal may
or may not have been made. The foreign minister didn't provide any
clarification then.
I do think that we don't think overall it is particularly productive
to try to conduct our dialogue with North Korea through an analysis of
press commentary, and the best way to deal with this issue is in
direct discussions. As you know, we've had missile talks with the
North Koreans previously. We expect to have others, and in upcoming
meetings with US and North Korean officials it will give us an
opportunity to explore more fully any proposals that the North Koreans
may have made or may wish to make in a more serious manner than trying
to go back and forth between contradictory press reports.
(The briefing was concluded at 2:10 P.M.)
(end transcript)
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