State Department Noon Briefing, October 26
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
BRIEFER: PHILIP T. REEKER, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2000 1:30 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
Q: North Korea today is quite critical of the US and South Korean
joint exercise, and one official goes so far as to say that it is as
good as spoiling the good atmosphere created with Secretary Albright's
visit.
Any comments?
MR. REEKER: I think, first, to point out that the ongoing exercises in
South Korea are part of regularly scheduled annual exercises and have
no connection, obviously, with the Secretary's trip to North Korea.
They are intended to maintain the readiness of our forces in South
Korea. I would have to refer you to the Pentagon for specifics on that
exercise.
Certainly the exercise should have absolutely no impact on the
progress made during the Secretary's trip and the spirit of working
together that we are pursuing with North Korea.
Q: But North Korea feels that it does. That's still going to be a
problem.
MR. REEKER: I've seen some statements. I have nothing to indicate that
those statements reflect any change in the statements that they made
with the Secretary when she was there with the Chairman. And obviously
she is on her way back.
She had six hours of serious and constructive talks with Chairman Kim
Jong Il in Pyongyang. She had in-depth discussions concerning missile
restraint, security issues and diplomatic relations. She met with Vice
Marshall Jo, who had previously been here in Washington, and discussed
a range of issues from our nonproliferation concerns to terrorism and
global issues.
I think, as you saw from the briefings that were held, the press
conferences that were held, there was important progress made in terms
of discussing this range of issues. The Secretary was then in Seoul
where she met with President Kim Dae Jung and briefed the South Korean
and Japanese Foreign Ministers on her productive trip to North Korea
and the productive discussion she had there in Seoul. So I don't think
we see these exercises as having any impact on her trip.
Q: I didn't say the US side felt so, but if the North Korean Foreign
Minister is making statements like that, it indicates the obvious --
there is still a long way to go.
MR. REEKER: Well, I just don't have anything to add for you on that.
The Secretary is going to return. She has talked about her trip and
the talks that she had there. These exercises in question are
long-planned annual exercises, which means that they happen every
year, and were certainly something that everybody was aware of.
....
Q: Is there a date and a place for the next round of missile talks?
MR. REEKER: There is not yet, and perhaps waiting for the Secretary
and her party to come back. I don't think we would have something this
afternoon, but we can certainly check for tomorrow.
(The briefing was concluded at 2:10 P.M.)
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