Seoul Expects NK to Join 5-Way Talks in July, Aug.
2003-06-18
North Korea will likely accept the five-way talks on its nuclear issue within a few months, Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said on Monday (June 16).
"The North does not have any other card, but to come to the negotiation table in one or two months." Jeong said during a radio program.
"We don't expect the North to jump into multilateral talks in a few days. But, if we cooperate with other nations, such as China, in persuading Pyongyang to join the talks, they will soon show a positive response," Jeong said.
He pointed that a softened diplomatic approach is more effective in bringing around the North than hard-line measures such as imposing an embargo.
He noted that South Korea should continue efforts to induce changes in the North through such initiatives as inter-Korean talks and cooperation with the U.S.
He remained cautious on the issue of light water reactors, the construction of which is currently underway on North Korean soil. The Korea Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), run by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, is considering suspending the construction work as a response to North Korea's nuclear threat.
"The North is keeping a very careful eye on the development of the situation, waiting for the KEDO to come up with a decision," Jeong said.
He said it needs patience to realize North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's return visit to Seoul. "It's not something Seoul and Pyongyang can hurry up. We need to carefully observe the development of the situation to realize Kim's return visit," he said.
Jeong said the current administration has been sticking to the basic principle of the "sunshine" policy of the former Kim Dae-jung administration, even if recent changes have made its position seem derailed from the principle.
Source : www.korea.net
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