Detailed report on 6th inter-Korean ministerial talks
Pyongyang, November 15 (KCNA) -- A detailed report on the 6th north-south ministerial talks was released today. The report says:As already reported, the 6th north-south ministerial talks were held on Mt. Kumgang from November 9 to 14. The talks, however, were closed without any results.
The whole course of the talks proved which of the two sides of Korea truly respects the June 15 joint declaration, makes every sincere effort for bilateral reconciliation and cooperation and which side puts a brake on them.
At the talks which opened at a time when a tense situation is prevailing on the Korean peninsula and the north-south relations are undergoing ups and downs our side proposed realistic ways of breaking the deadlock and making the talks fruitful and exerted every sincere effort to put them into practice.
The draft joint press release advanced by our side contained the issue of exerting efforts to refrain from laying obstacles in the way of positively developing dialogue, cooperation and exchange between the north and the south, the issue of exchanging the 4th visiting groups of separated families and relatives within November, the issue of opening the second authorities-to-authorities talks on November 20 to pep up tourism of Mt. Kumgang and the second meeting of the north-south committee for the promotion of economic cooperation on Mt. Kumgang early in December, the issue of exchanging Taekwon-do exhibition teams and the issue of opening the 7th north-south ministerial talks in Seoul, etc.
Our side gave the south side two more days and had three rounds of plenary sessions of the talks and two rounds of contacts between the heads of the delegations in the hope of reaching an agreement on the joint press release while strongly urging the south side to take measures at an early date that might convince our people to improve the prevailing situation. It repeatedly proposed flexible ways for the solution of the problems, letting the working-level officials have round-the-clock contacts for some days.
All the proposals made by our side were in full line with the aspiration of the fellow countrymen as they were most just in view of the obtaining situation and the present strained inter-Korean relations.
The south side is entirely to blame for preventing the talks from yielding any results for the nation.
The chief delegate of the south side made poor excuses at the talks, asserting that the "emergency alert" was a "preventive" measure to cope with international terrorism and this was necessary for "the safety of the travelers between the south and the north." and he blatantly challenged the just demand of the north side for lifting the "emergency alert" targeted against the north, arguing that the "emergency alert" was its "internal affair."
The chief delegate known to look after the issue of reunification talked nonsense that the tensions between the north and the south are not attributable to the conception of the "principal enemy" and it is unavoidable under the present conditions where the state of armistice persists and there is no confidence building, even defending the statement made by the "minister of national defence" before the opening of the talks that he considered compatriots as the "principal enemy."
What was more serious was the fact that he grossly defiled and described the words "by the concerted efforts of our nation," the core of the north-south joint declaration, as a "breakdown of relations with the international community" and "isolation" and did not bother to let loose flunkeyist and traitorous remarks that our nation should "cooperate with the international community and depend on foreign forces."
The wrong attitude of the south side found a more concentrated manifestation in the discussion on the issue of exchanging the 4th visiting groups of separated families and relatives.
The south side adamantly refused to accept the proposal of the north side on exchanging them within November after its lifting of the "emergency alert," taking into consideration the fact that the separated families and relatives are very old and their reunion should not be delayed any longer.
As the north side took a serious view of the wrong stand and attitude of the south side and called them into question, the latter proposed to let the separated families and relatives meet on Mt. Kumgang where security is guaranteed.
The north side expressed understanding and consent to the south side's proposal for organizing the exchange of visiting groups even on Mt. Kumgang and made a realistic proposal for organizing the reunions of separated families and relatives for two nights and three days at the interval of a week before and after December 10.
Therefore, working-level officials of the two sides agreed on the date of exchanging the visiting groups in Mt. Kumgang area.
The south side's chief delegate, thinking of his position first, opposed the proposal to let separated families and relatives reunite on Mt. Kumgang.
The south side's unreasonable attitude was clearly manifested when discussing the venue of the second meeting of the north-south committee for the promotion of economic cooperation and the date of the 7th ministerial talks.
The south side admitted that dialogue and travel are impossible in its area where tensions prevail. But it laid an artificial obstacle to the talks by incoherently insisting on holding the second meeting of the committee in Seoul, not on Mt Kumgang.
The north side made a concession to this for the success of the talks and put forth a reasonable proposal to choose Seoul as the venue of the 7th ministerial talks and fix a date the two sides see convenient.
Thanks to the perfect logic and tolerant concession of the north side the working-level contact reaffirmed the will for the implementation of the north-south joint declaration and worked out a draft joint press release on the issues of organizing the reunions of separated families and relatives on Mt Kumgang before and after dec. 10, holding the second authorities-to-authorities talks to pep up Mt Kumgang tourism and the second meeting of the committee for the promotion of economic cooperation on Mt. Kumgang in November and December and holding the seventh ministerial talks in Seoul at a convenient time.
A few hours before the plenary session, Hong Sun Yong, chief delegate of the south side to the north-south ministerial talks, made no scruple of scuppering all the already agreed points all of a sudden, saying that if he goes back to the south, he may be questioned by someone, he does not want to bring burdens to someone, he did not know the north-south relations are so difficult to deal with because he only worked as a diplomat and he does not mind going back without any agreement on the joint press release.
Therefore, the sixth ministerial talks decisive of the implementation of the north-south joint declaration and the fate of the north-south authorities-to-authorities talks turned into a theatre of unnecessary argument and eventually ended without results.
When briefly commenting on the standpoint and attitude of the south side at the talks, the point at issue is that it sidestepped the core of the joint declaration and went far away from its basic spirit.
It is to be regretted that we held six rounds of the ministerial talks after the publication of the joint declaration, but we had fruitless talks this time owing to the south side while spending more time than at any other previous talks.
The south side should drop such wrong standpoint and attitude as denying the basic spirit of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
With no pretext the south side will evade the responsibility for making the sixth ministerial talks close without fruits and throwing a stumbling block in the way of implementing the joint declaration and achieving the reconciliation, unity and reunification of the nation.
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