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SLUG: 3-587 Charles Morrison
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DATE=3/12/03 TYPE=INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT TITLE=CHARLES MORRISON NUMBER=3-587 BYLINE=VICTOR BEATTIE DATELINE=WASHINGTON INTERNET= /// EDITORS: THIS INTERVIEW IS AVAILABLE IN DALET UNDER SOD/ENGLISH NEWS NOW INTERVIEWS IN THE FOLDER FOR TODAY OR YESTERDAY ///
OPEN: North Korea has condemned ongoing U-S-South Korean military exercises, accusing Washington of preparing a plan to attack its nuclear facilities. The state-run news agency K-C-N-A claimed Wednesday the United States is using joint military exercises with South Korea this month to watch for an opportunity to launch a pre-emptive attack on its nuclear facilities. The U-S Defense Department says the war games are conducted each year for defense preparedness and have nothing to do with the international dispute over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, South Korea's foreign minister again urged Washington to consider direct talks to resolve its dispute with Pyongyang. Charles Morrison, president of the Hawaii-based East-West Center, an educational and research organization established by Congress in 1960, believes such bilateral talks leading to negotiations will be necessary. However, Mr. Morrison cautions that talks alone will not resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries, the most important of which is the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Morrison also says it appears new South Korean president Roh Moo-hyn has had a change of heart regarding the U-S-Korean defense agreement which involves the forward deployment of 37-thousand U-S military personnel even as U-S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says a review of the size and deployment of American forces in Korea is underway: MR. MORRISON: The President during the campaign sounded like he was critical of the U.S. alliance so, since winning the election, he has tried to do his best to reassure the Korean public that he is in fact a strong supporter of the alliance. MR. BEATTIE: Is there any question that the new Korean administration wants a lower U.S. profile? MR. MORRISON: One could say that they want to explore ways of making the presence a little more acceptable in Korean terms. In other words, perhaps making the footprint of the bases less, having troop maneuvers more regulated. What he actually called for during the election was looking at the Status of Forces Agreement which regulates the operation of foreign troops in South Korea, in this case. But that's the presence; that's not the alliance itself, which he has made clear he strongly supports. MR. BEATTIE: What about this redeployment of U.S. forces, what would be the reason or justification behind that? MR. MORRISON: It has been argued for years that U.S. forces perhaps could be redeployed to other parts of Korea, where they themselves might not be quite as much in danger or that they would be less obvious in terms of inter-Korean relations. However, I guess I would think that that's something that one might not particularly want to do right now. MR. BEATTIE: Do you see a beefing up of U.S. forces or actually a lessening from the 37,000 level that is now in Korea? MR. MORRISON: No, I don't think there is any need to beef those up. South Korea has a very able army, and the defense of South Korea really rests in the hands of South Korea. The purpose of those forces, in many respects, is a deterrent force. It's really to show that the United States stands foursquare with South Korea in terms of its own defense. CLOSE: The East-West Center's Charles Morrison says North Korean tensions pose unique problems for South Korea, China and Japan. South Korea is concerned about a catastrophic war, China is alarmed about a collapse of North Korea and the ensuing flood of refugees in the event of war, while Japan is worried about a regional arms race. VNN/DAB NEB/ |
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