Koreas to Open 10th Ministerial Talks Sunday
2003-04-25
South and North Korea are to convene the 10th ministerial talks in Pyongyang on Sunday (April 27), the first high-level talks since the Roh Moo-hyun administration took office on Feb. 25.
Prospects for the talks, however, are not very bright following a stalemate in talks in Beijing over the North Korean nuclear crisis held among North Korea, the United States and China.
South Korean negotiators headed by Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, are likely to lock horns with their North Korean counterparts over the veracity of the North Korean claim that it possesses nuclear weapons and may test a bomb in the near future.
The North Korean team, led by Senior Cabinet Councilor Kim Ryong-song, however, is likely to resist in-depth discussions on the nuclear issue with South Korea, as it has insisted the subject be dealt with by the U.S. only.
Other items in the talks include resuming inter-Korean cooperation and exchange programs and continuing humanitarian assistance to the North.
Seoul is likely to ask Pyongyang to complete reconnection of the Gyeongui (Seoul-Sinuiju) Railway connecting west parts of the peninsula by June this year.
North Korea is expected to ask for immediate rice and fertilizer aid from the South at the talks. Seoul has said provision of rice to Pyongyang "needs consultations on the National Assembly level" and a national consensus, indicating the North's position on the nuclear issue may be linked to the rice aid.
"Although the Koreas are likely to reach no breakthrough in the security area, it's still important to keep the dialogue going," a Unification Ministry official said.
Last-minute cancellation of the 10th ministerial talks cannot be ruled out at this point, as North Korea yesterday canceled all other visits of South Koreans out of fear for the deadly SARS epidemic.
Source : www.korea.net
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
