Title: ISSUE FOCUS: PUTIN HOSTS KIM JONG-IL, SIGNALING U.S. THAT 'RUSSIA IS BACK IN THE GAME'
Date: 20010809
Text:
ISSUE FOCUS
FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON DC 20520
OFFICE OF RESEARCH
Kathleen J. Brahney, Branch Chief, (202) 619-6511
Stephen M. Shaffer, Acting Director
Archived at: www.usinfo.state.gov/products/medreac.htm
Thursday, August 9, 2001
PUTIN HOSTS KIM JONG-IL, SIGNALING U.S. THAT 'RUSSIA IS BACK IN THE GAME'
Independent media in Europe and East Asia agreed that Pyongyang dictator Kim Jong-Il and Russian President Vladimir Putin staged their Moscow talks with the Bush administration, not their own publics, in mind. Papers in Russia, Germany and Hong Kong saw Putin as using the meetings to leverage a better ABM deal from the U.S. and to jockey for a Russian role on the Korean Peninsula. Only the fawning North Korean media and a pro-PRC paper in Macau took the leaders' joint statement at face value. West European writers panned the "Moscow Declaration," ridiculing, for example, its description of Pyongyang's missile program as "peaceful." In Seoul, commentators expressed hope that the Russian excursion had provided the insular North Korean leader with a reality-check, but a conservative voice worried that the "Dear Leader" might be fashioning a "Northern Triangle" (N.Korea-China-Russia) to confront the S.Korea-U.S.-Japan alliance. Most writers savored the irony of a democratically-elected Russian president hosting a 21st century Stalinist. It was a visit that, according to one Russian, "bewildered" Russian public opinion.
Highlights follow: 'RUSSIA IS BACK IN THE GAME' Several German columnists viewed the Kim-Putin talks within the context of Russia's efforts to "make itself indispensable" in global affairs in order to "maintain the status of a major power." Russian observers made similar points, although they focused more tightly on Moscow-Washington dynamics. A writer asserted in reformist Vremya Novostei that "Russia is hoping to use its influence on the DPRK as a trump card in a big game with the U.S., primarily over ABM." Germany's left-of-center Berliner Zeitung believed Putin's gambit had worked, since "only one day after Kim's arrival in Moscow, the Americans offered Russia far-reaching cooperation in missile technology and joint military maneuvers." Official government Rossiyskaya Gazeta cited a Russian think tank director who thought that Russia had "scored points...as a possible mediator in resolving the Korean nuclear and missile problem."
'TROMPE L'OEIL' DECLARATION
West European editorials panned the joint "Moscow Declaration." They reasoned that, if the declaration were really Russian policy, it would "play the 'rogue state' argument into the hands of MD supporters."
Munich's center-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung declared: "If Putin makes Kim, of all politicians, the advocate of the ABM Treaty, the days of this agreement...will really be numbered."
NORTH/SOUTH RECONCILIATION POSSIBLE? Seoul's conservative Segye Ilbo was alert to any hints of peninsular reconciliation talks, noting: "It is a welcome move to see Russia...promise constructive cooperation for the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and the inter-Korea talks." The paper, however, expressed the general concern (also found in Japanese commentary) that "North Korea is exerting diplomatic pressure on the U.S. by means of the so-called Northern Triangle formed by North Korea, China and Russia." EDITOR: Stephen Thibeault
EDITOR'S NOTE: This survey is based on 33 reports from 10 countries, July 31-August 9. Editorial excerpts are grouped by region; editorials from each country are listed from the most recent date.
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EUROPE
RUSSIA: "Forward Looking Policy"
Aleksandr Bovin offered this in reformist weekly Moskovskiye Novosti (8/9): "Indisputably, the Kim Jong-il regime is historically doomed. Pontius Pilate would have stepped aside and washed his hands of it. But Putin is no Pontius Pilate. He is a politician, dealing, having to deal, with that regime. It is important to look ahead to a strategic goal. In Russia's case, it is good relations with a united Korea. We are playing in Seoul's court. It is in Russia's interest to take Seoul's concerns into account. The same goes for Beijing's, Washington's, and Tokyo's concerns when it comes to, say, arms sales or the missile program of the DPRK. To ignore them today is to court trouble tomorrow."
"Little Left Of Ljubljana Spirit"
Yevgeniy Vasilyev wrote in reformist Vremya MN (8/8): "Apparently, Washington, no longer hoping to overcome the Cold War legacy in Moscow, is trying to lure the Russians with possible dividends. Condoleezza Rice, coming back from Moscow last week, stated that Russia can count on military cooperation with the United States and obtain U.S. missile technology if the talks result in the development of new principles of strategic interaction. That leaves very little of the Ljubljana spirit and the Genoa accords in the sense that the sides have failed to reach the point where they can feel more confident and at ease as they consider the problems at hand."
"Russia Benefits From Kim's Visit"
Vladimir Bogdanov of official government Rossiyskaya Gazeta (8/7) quoted Sergey Karaganov, chairman of Russia's Council for Foreign and Defense Policies: "I think Russia has benefited by Kim Jong-il's visit, even though this quaint political figure, his Stalinist regime, and traveling habits are no asset to Russia as the host country. Russia has benefited as a potential player in a game called North-South rapprochement in Korea. It has scored points as it competes with the United States and the West as a possible mediator in resolving the Korean nuclear and missile problem."
"It's Good To Be Bad"
Fyodor Lukyanov commented on page one of reformist Vremya Novostei (8/6): "No other visit to this country has bewildered the world and Russian public opinion as much as this one. More so as the Moscow declaration, crowning the grueling journey, contains nothing new compared to what has already been known from Vladimir Putin's trip to Pyongyang last year and Kim Jong-il's few contacts with other foreign officials. The protracted show called The Dear Leader Visits His Great Neighbor suggests that it is good to be 'very bad.' Clearly, Moscow is not wooing the Pyongyang leader out of love for him or his Stalinist regime. Russia is hoping to use its influence on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as a trump card in a big game with the United States, primarily over ABM. The question is who is using whom. 'Rogue states' hold that 'title of honor' not only because the U.S. imperialists call them that, but also because they don't keep their word or follow the rules of the civilized world.... Making a deal with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is pretty unrewarding, if not hopeless."
"Mirror Image Of Our Past"
Gayaz Alimov noted on page one of reformist Izvestiya (8/4): "Much as we see irony in the 7-day rail journey from Pyongyang to Moscow by General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Comrade Kim Jong-il, we ought to remember that it is a mirror image of our past. North Korea is nearly the only surviving monument to Stalin and his ideas. It is also his brainchild."
"U.S. Sets New Tone In Foreign Affairs"
Andrey Kokoshin pointed out in reformist weekly Moskovskiye Novosti (8/1): "What is common to Condoleezza Rice...and (North Korea's) Kim Jong-il, whom the U.S. president doesn't seem to like very much, is that their visits to Russia are a chance for us to take part in settling issues that disturb the Americans."
BRITAIN: "Rogue States"
The conservative Daily Telegraph declared (8/6): "The spectral progress of Kim Jong-il--the like of which, as Mikhail Gorbachev remarked, has not been seen since Stalin's day--culminated in talks with Vladimir Putin. The Russian president and the 'Peerless Leader' swiftly announced a two-year moratorium on North Korea's missile tests in return for Russian nuclear technology.... How reassuring should the West find this 'Moscow declaration'? Not very. No sooner had Mr. Kim pledged himself to peace than he was off to Lenin's mausoleum, before visiting a Russian factory and military satellite control center. The subliminal message was clear: Mr Kim wants Russian missiles, and Moscow is ready to indulge him to deter Washington from pursuing strategic missile defense. President Bush is evidently wise to regard North Korea as a 'rogue state'. How, though, should the West treat Mr Kim's ally, Russia?"
"Feeding The Dictator"
An article by Fiona Terry in the liberal Guardian claimed (8/6): "Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, bought $300m worth of weapons from Russia over the weekend. Meanwhile, at home, millions of his people are starving to death.... North Korea receives one of the largest allocations of food aid in the world--almost 1m tons annually. Yet refugees in China from the hard-hit northern provinces where the UN World Food Program (WFP) concentrates its aid say they never received this food.... What is happening to the food aid? No one knows, not even the organizations distributing it, because the North Korean regime does not allow aid agencies the access necessary to ensure that aid is reaching those for whom it is intended.... While political and diplomatic engagement provides the only real means to influence the regime, using food aid to do so in a country beset by famine is reprehensible. The purpose of humanitarian aid is to save lives. By channeling it through the regime responsible for the suffering, it has become part of the system of oppression."
FRANCE: "Kim--The Visitor From The Past"
Economic-oriented Les Echos stated (8/7): "It was a voyage from another time. It reminded Mikhail Gorbachev of the Stalin era and gave the majority of Russians an image of what their country was like 50 years ago. In this context, as artificial as it was surreal, the 'Great Leader's' offspring could only obtain trompe l'oeil results.... This was the case for the Russo-North Korean mutual declaration supporting the peaceful nature of Pyongyang's missile program, whose very nature is offensive. This was also the case for the two parties' appreciation of the 1972 ABM treaty as the cornerstone of the strategic balance of the world. A qualification that even the Russians decided, at the end of July, to abandon.... As for the statement that Russo-Korean friendship will contribute to ensuring peace in Asia and in the world, it can easily be deciphered.... It is more appropriate to believe that Vladimir Putin is considering using Kim Jong-il to challenge the Americans in his discussions on MD."
GERMANY: "Russian Dilemma"
Karl Grobe opined in left-of-center Frankfurter Rundschau (8/8): "[North Korea's President] Kim Jong-il and Russia's President Putin adopted an eight-point plan and changed the consensus which seemed to make politics on the Korean peninsula predictable. North Korea is now saying that the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region is the key for a peaceful development of the region. But during their meeting a year ago, Kim told his South Korean counterpart Kim Dae-jong that he has only a few objections to the U.S. presence on the peninsula. What is now true?...
"Russia's president is working on preserving and restoring those things that still exist to maintain the status of a major power. This includes close relations with old allies such as Cuba, with neighboring countries such as China, and with such states that have attracted opposition from the United States: Iraq, Iran, North Korea. The context is obvious. But the latest change of inner-Koran politics also affects Japan, China, and the United States. It has affects U.S. missile defense plans because it plays the 'rogue state' argument into the hands of MD supporters. It does not reduce regional tensions whose solution seemed to be within reach last year. It is appropriate to think that the leadership in Moscow now wants to make itself indispensable, and that is why it is willing to accept certain political risks."
"North Korea's Dictator Kim Jong-il's Strange Visit To Moscow"
Daniel Broessler noted in center-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung of Munich (8/6): "[People outside of North Korea], including those in Russia, must be astonished with whom Putin is joining forces to better the world. And they must wonder about Putin's reasons. This message of peace, included in the 'Moscow Declaration,' could also convince skeptics in the United States that missile defense is not such a bad idea. And if Putin makes Kim of all politicians the advocate of the ABM Treaty, the days of this agreement against the arms race will really be numbered.... According to official interpretations, the Korean peninsula is one of the prime spheres of interest of Russia's foreign policy. As in regions ranging from the Middle East to the Balkans, Russia would like to be indispensable--as evidence of its permanent importance. Russia wants to mediate between the two Koreas, not because it is a major power, but because it wants to be a major power.... Russia is longing for the power it once had, and is thus conjuring up the specters of the past."
"Russia's Interest In Kim"
Maxim Leo argued in left-of-center Berliner Zeitung (8/6): "Putin is interested in avoiding the impression...that Russia has accepted MD and is now negotiating about the price with the United States. If this impression cannot be avoided, then at least the price should rise. That is why Moscow promised North Korea military assistance. And Putin's tactic seems to work. Only one day after Kim's arrival in Moscow, the Americans offered Russia far-reaching cooperation in missile technology and joint military maneuvers. We hear from Washington that Russia must be better integrated into global security policy. As a precondition, the Americans are calling for an end to Russia's support of North Korea. Russia is back in the game. It did not want more."
"A Different World"
Center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine declared (8/7): "Kim said that North Korea, under certain circumstances, will abandon plans to test missiles, but he made a similar promise once before which he later downplayed as a 'joke.' Russia and the rest of the world must wonder to what extent can this man be taken seriously. After the inner-Korean summit last year, the South Koreans presented their interlocutor as a self-confident and open politician. But someone who made so many exacting demands like Kim Jong-il in Russia, must prove first that he is in full control of his faculties. This man obviously lives in a different world which has only marginally to do with the real world. Nevertheless, it is necessary to talk to him--but with great caution. We can only say that North Korea will have complied with accords only if it has implemented everything that has been laid down in writing and if everything has been achieved that was put forward. In addition, the goal of a dialogue with Pyongyang should also be to change the Stalinist system."
POLAND: "Return To Asia"
Krystyna Szelestowska wrote in leftist Trybuna (8/7): "Ridiculed by the Russian and world media, the trip of the 'dear leader' from Pyongyang to Moscow in an armored train...yielded successes even before it ended. The visit is a success for the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who found in the Kremlin a mediator and confidant willing to support Pyongyang's efforts to break international isolation. The person, however, who benefited the most from the visit is Vladimir Putin. The two leaders' joint declaration...carries the reassurances that 'North Korea's missile program has a peaceful character only and poses no threat to any country that recognizes the sovereignty of the DPRK.' The declaration also contains a shared negative approach toward the U.S. missile umbrella project.... From the point of view of Moscow's interests, of utmost importance are Kim Jong-il's assurances undermining the argument that an irresponsible state--like North Korea in the eyes of the United States--could attack U.S. territory with its transcontinental missiles. It was just this justification that formed the basis of President Bush's decision to build the missile umbrella. This argument was significantly undermined, even if we assume that Kim Jong-il is not a politician who arouses trust."
EAST ASIA
NORTH KOREA: "Development Of DPRK-Russia Friendship Hailed"
Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency reported (8/7): "Personages of Russia expressed in their congratulatory messages and letters the conviction that the traditional DPRK-Russia relations of friendship and cooperation would grow stronger. The chairperson of the Eastern European Center for the Support and Solidarity to the DPRK said it is a great pleasure and inspiration to them that true to President Kim-il Sung's cause, leader Kim Jong-il has tirelessly worked heart and soul to strengthen the friendship between the DPRK and Russian peoples.
Vitaly Ignatenko, director general of Itar-Tass, expressed the belief that the meeting of the leaders of Russia and the DPRK which have traditional ties of friendship, would give a powerful impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation in different fields. The scientific secretary of the Russian Youth Association for the Study of the Juche Idea said that the Russia-DPRK summit marked a very important momentum in ensuring peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two peoples. And he was convinced that the traditional friendship between the two countries with a long history would further strengthen, he added."
"U.S. Missile Test Under Fire"
The official Korean Central News Agency website carried this commentary from Pyongyang's official by Rodong Sinmun (8/6): The recent interceptor missile test proves that the U.S. MD system has progressed from the discussion stage to the full-fledged establishment stage. The United States is keen to rapidly push missile modernization rapidly forward in a bid for absolute superiority over the other big powers in the field of nuclear and missile development. The United States is now peddling the non-existent 'missile threat' from the DPRK to hide its ulterior motive. The United States insists that as the DPRK 'threatens it' with missiles, it should establish the MD as soon as possible to cope with it.... But the facts prove, however, that the United States is the state posing the biggest nuclear and missile threat and is the most dangerous rogue state in the world. It is none other than the United States which conducted the interceptor missile test despite the unanimous protest at home and abroad, thus arousing uneasiness and worry among the world public. The DPRK is left with no option but to take a counter-measure for self-defence now that the United States is going ahead with the MD under the pretext of the 'missile threat' from the DPRK and posing a real threat to it. The DPRK will have nothing to lose although all the items agreed upon between the DPRK and the United States collapse."
"U.S. Urged To Drop Hostile Policy Toward DPRK"
The official Korean Central News Agency website carried the text of the joint Russia-DPRK statement along with this editorial from official news agency Rodong Sinmun (8/05): "The situation on the Korean peninsula remains very tense due to the U.S. policy.... It is even raising the issue of 'cutdown of conventional weapons.' Lurking behind this is a sinister aim. It seeks to totally disarm the DPRK and create a military vacuum in its forward area and rear. In raising such an issue unacceptable to the DPRK the United States seeks to use it as a pretext to provoke a war of aggression. The allied aggression forces are going to start a war to stifle the DPRK. In this situation, the DPRK can never weaken its armed forces although it stands for peace.... If the United Sates sincerely wishes peace on the Korean peninsula and improved relations with it, it should drop the hostile policy to stifle the DPRK."
SOUTH KOREA: "North Korea And Russia Call For Withdrawal Of USFK"
Professor Goh Jae Nam observed in independent Joong-Ang Ilbo (8/7): "The issue of USFK withdrawal was included in the Moscow Statement because both North Korea and Russia needed a strategy to improve their negotiating positions in dealing with the United States. Therefore, we do not need to take it too seriously. Rather, we need to focus on pulling our diplomatic wisdom together to minimize the impact the issue might have on the inter-Korea talks and the U.S.-DPRK talks."
"What Are Putin And Kim Jong-Il Really After?"
Conservative Chosun Ilbo editorialized (8/6): "We should focus on what the real goals are for North Korea and Russia. North Korea might be trying to use President Putin in dealing with the United States. Russia, too, might be trying to pressure South Korea in areas such as the TSR project by demonstrating that it can intervene in peninsula issues with North Korea."
"Why North Korea And Russia Called For Withdrawal Of U.S. Troops"
Independent Joong-Ang Ilbo observed (8/6): "The North Korea-Russia Joint Statement...brings both hopes and concerns.... It is encouraging that the North has mended its relations with Russia, one that has been rather aloof since the fall of the former Soviet Union, and thus has progressed one step closer into the international community.... Considering the fact that relations between South Korea-China and South Korea-Russia are becoming more and more based on friendship and cooperation, normalization of relations between North Korea-Russia and North Korea-China will contribute greatly to the stabilization in the Korean Peninsula matters.... [However] It is unclear whether North Korea's reversal of its position on acknowledging the stationing of USFK, known to have been expressed during the June South-North Summit, is a plan to improve its bargaining powers in dealing with the United States, or to pressure the South, or both. Whatever it is, a matter of conflict has been tossed to the South Korean side."
"North Korea-Russia Joint Statement And The Korean Peninsula"
Independent Dong-A Ilbo declared (8/6): "It is of interest that most of the contents of the North Korea-Russia Joint Statement are aimed at the United States.... The Joint Statement could be seen as a result of matching interests between Russia and N. Korea; Russia wants to oppose the U.S.-led global strategy and N. Korea wants to strengthen its foothold in dealing with the United States.... It is also possible to analyze...Kim's Russia visit as part of a diplomatic effort to bring Russia or China as a supporting force into the U.S.-DPRK talks. However, if N. Korea so bluntly strengthens its trilateral relations with Russia and China and raises the issue of withdrawal of the U.S. troops in South Korea, it will become harder to find a breakthrough in the U.S.-DPRK talks. There also seems to have been a compromise made between the North and Russia on high-tech weapons purchase. If this is how things are going to be, both the inter-Korea talks and the U.S.-DPRK talks will be delayed, with growing possibility of yet another confrontational structure being formed on the Korean Peninsula.... Korean government officials seem to be expecting that the 'Moscow Statement' will have a positive influence on the inter-Korea talks. However, it is also true that North Korean Chairman Kim's visit to Russia raises concerns about a possible new conflict structure surrounding the Korean Peninsula."
"Moscow Statement And The Korean Peninsula"
Moderate Hankook Ilbo stated (8/6): "Chairman Kim's interest lies mainly on opening up North Korea to revive its economy while maintaining the regime. He would want to find clues to this difficult task from his allies, Russia and China. However, China and Russia both have different positions than they had in the Cold War era. They, too, depend greatly on economic cooperation with the United States. [Therefore] Both China and Russia seem to have advised the North that it, too, should try to solve its economic woes through negotiations with the United Sates. Now that Chairman Kim has conducted a broad study of China and Russia, we are confident that his next step will be to come up with a breakthrough in negotiations with South Korea and the United States."
"The Moscow Statement And North Korea's Attitude"
Pro-government Hankyoreh Shinmun noted (8/6): "What catches our attention the most in the North Korea-Russia Joint Statement is the part about the rail and electricity project.... Linking the TSR and the TKR will benefit all countries involved.... The electricity project is also of interest, since it is known that the current stalemate in the South-North dialogue is due to North Korean objections regarding South Korea's not providing the necessary electrical power to the North. However, it is clear that both areas, rail and the electricity, cannot expect much success through cooperation between North Korea and Russia. The North has shut its doors to South Korea as well, as its problems with the United States are not being solved. The North should realize that such an attitude could cause external intervention."
"Impact Of A Joint Battle Line Being Formed Between North Korea And Russia"
Conservative Segye Ilbo commented (8/6): "It is a welcome move to see Russia express its support and promise constructive cooperation for the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration and the inter-Korea talks.... However, we cannot but be concerned at the fact that North Korea is exerting diplomatic pressure on the United States by means of the so-called Northern Triangle formed by North Korea, China and Russia.... North Korea-Russia relations, which have been off track since the fall of the former Soviet Union, have been successfully set back on track with this summit. In September, Chinese President Ziang is scheduled to visit North Korea. If the Northern Triangle is solidified by these two events, then a confrontation between the Northern Triangle and the Korea-U.S.-Japan Triangle will be unavoidable."
"After The North Korea-Russia Summit"
Government-owned Daehan Maeil editorialized (8/6): "We would like to state that [South Korea] holds both concerns and hopes as we see the North Korea-Russia Joint Statement.... We expect North Korea and Russia to play a larger role in bringing about peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.... [However] we are concerned that there might be a dark cloud cast over future U.S.-DPRK talks. North Korea has been saying that the halt in the inter-Korea talks is based on the uncomfortable relations between the United States and North Korea. Therefore, the dark cloud over the U.S.-DPRK talks could have a negative impact on the South-North dialogue as well. "
"Relaxed U.S., Impatient ROK"
Ki Yeon-soo, professor of Russian Politics at Hankook University of Foreign Studies, opined in conservative Segye Ilbo (8/1): "The purpose of the ongoing long journey to Russia by North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-il appears to be to show off to the world the North Korean regime's stability at home. However, in my opinion, his Russia trip is more likely to provide an opportunity for him to take a closer look at the so-called 'Iron Silk Road,' which is expected to have an enormous, geopolitical and geoeconomical impact on the security situation in the 21st century Northeast Asia. Chairman Kim is scheduled to make on-site inspections of Russia's important cities in military, industrial, and economic terms.... Given the breathlessly fast developing political situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula, as evidenced by Chinese President Jiang Zemin's upcoming visit to Pyongyang and President Bush's scheduled visits to Seoul and Beijing before and after this October's APEC meeting, the ROKG should not rush its North Korea policy and take our security and national interests into consideration. The ROKG should abandon its obsession about the unilateral 'sunshine policy' toward North Korea and try hard to strengthen mutual cooperation with the United States and Japan."
JAPAN: "Diplomatic And Economic Hardships Facing DPRK"
Business-oriented Nihon Keizai's Seoul correspondent Uchiyama observed (8/7): "DPRK leader Kim Jong Il is taking the diplomatic offensive. Kim, having signed the Moscow declaration with Russian President Putin, plans to meet with Chinese President Jiang next month. Behind Kim's outwardly spectacular diplomatic moves is the reality that he is unable to seek foreign aid to ease his state's economic hardships. MOFA officials called the declaration nothing surprising. A South Korean government source even said had Kim Jong Il had used a missile card, it could not have been effective in setting the stalemated U.S.-DPRK talks back on track.
"The Bush administration would not readily accept the North Korean 'missile card' alone because of its grave concern over the North's nuclear arms development and continuing buildups of conventional weapons. Although Kim's 'missile card' strategy to resume talks with the United States backfired, he cannot suspend dialogue with the international community in consideration of economic hardships facing his state. But as long as the North is at odds with the United States, it cannot obtain enough economic aid and loans from international financing organizations."
"Putin-Kim Meeting Should Open Way For Resumption Of U.S.-DPRK Talks"
Liberal Asahi editorialized (8/6): "The Moscow declaration...called the ABM Treaty the cornerstone of strategic stability. Both leaders made clear a joint posture to restrain the United States from developing a missile defense shield system.... Although the Bush administration has completed a review of U.S. policy toward the North's nuclear and missile program, the resumption of bilateral talks remains uncertain.... The United States will be deeply distrustful about North Korea as long as the latter remains closed and continues to give top priority to its military buildups. There will be many twists and turns before the resumption of U.S.-DPRK talks. No matter how divided they may be, however, the United States and DPRK should resume talks at an early time, keeping in mind the enormous effects of strained bilateral relations on security in the Asia-Pacific region. Both sides should also open the way for Kim's Jong Il's visit to Seoul."
"North Korea's Missiles Continue To Pose Threat"
An editorial in top-circulation, moderate Yomiuri observed (8/6): "The DPRK is likely to take advantage of the Moscow declaration as an effective diplomatic tool to turn future negotiations with the United States, Japan and South Korea in its favor. In the declaration, North Korea claimed its missile program is peaceful and poses no threat to any country that respects its sovereignty.... The North's claim is apparently aimed at countering the United States and Japan, both of which maintain that the North's missile program remains a serious threat to other countries. As long as Japan is within striking distance of Rodong missiles, we can hardly agree with North Korea's description of its missile program as peaceful. If the North Koreans are working for peace in a serious manner, they should take necessary measures to suspend missile development, exports and deployment."
HONG KONG & MACAU SARs: "Kim's Weird Way"
The independent South China Morning Post had this editorial (8/9): "For one thing, the journey is another example of North Korea's uneven, somewhat suspicious efforts to reach out to the world and become a more normal nation. Merely dining at the Kremlin won't do it but, in his talks with the Russian President, Mr. Kim almost certainly heard things that should encourage him to go further. Mr. Putin's own priorities include improving relations with the United States even while derailing President George W. Bush's plans for an anti-missile defense system.
It's therefore probable that he politely advised Mr. Kim to make his promised summit trip to Seoul, resume suspend talks with the United States and in general expand tentative agreements to defuse missile and nuclear disputes with Washington. In brief, don't act like the leader of a 'rogue state' and give American hawks the justification they seek for their costly anti-missile program.... As always with Pyongyang, there are few certainties. Hidden behind his tinted bulletproof windows as he crosses Sibera, Mr. Kim may devise new problems for the Korean peninsula. But it's more likely that Mr. Putin gave him a gentle nudge towards normal and peaceful discourse."
"North Korea Adopts Hard And Soft Tactics To Deal With U.S."
Pro-PRC Macau Daily News had this editorial (8/6): "The 'joint declaration' announced by North Korea and Russia shows that North Korea has adopted both hard and soft tactics to respond to the pressure from the U.S. On one hand, it employs the same tactic as Russia, which emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty. It does not hesitate to give tit-for-tat opposition to America's plan to deploy a missile defense system to deal with 'rogue states like North Korea.' On the other hand, North Korea has stated clearly that its missile plan is for 'peaceful purposes' and that 'it will not pose a threat to any country that respects the sovereignty of North Korea.' This shows that North Korea has the power to develop missiles, and it is, in fact, developing them. However, North Korea has also hinted that its stance has a high degree of flexibility, leaving much room for making compromises. Kim Jong-il reiterated his stance of not testing missiles before 2003, showing his willingness to reconcile with the United States. It is equal to passing the ball on resuming negotiations to the U.S. side. What will be the future development? It will depend on the response of Washington."
"Fragile Friendship"
The independent South China Morning Post stated (8/5): "The two nations, once close ideological allies, last night announced they had signed a 'Moscow declaration,' which reaffirmed their support for the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile entry. The move, which was widely expected, will be a source of irritation to Washington and is yet another voice of opposition to President George W. Bush's ambitious plans to build a missile defense system, which would mean scrapping the 1972 treaty. For Russia, the leaders' meeting did more than simply add backing to its opposition to the U.S. missile defense plan. The meeting was also an assertion of independence, and display that Mr. Putin is prepared to deal with countries the U.S. considers to be 'rogue states.' For North Korea, the dialogue means help in the form of aid packages and economic co-operation. It also means possible arms sales to upgrade the Stalinist state's aging Soviet-era military equipment--if the money can be found. It means help to rebuild the country's crippled infrastructure and neglected industrial plant. It may even mean cooperation over nuclear energy programs."
VIETNAM: "A Visit To Russia That Has A Connection With U.S.-North Korea Relations"
Lu Pho An wrote in Lao Dong, the daily published by the Vietnam Confederation of Labor Unions, (7/31): "The visit to Russia by Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Yong Il not only promotes bilateral relations between Russia and the DPRK but also raises the DPRK's international status. Such a fact is of great importance to the DPRK because although the Bush administration recently announced it would resume political dialogues with the DPRK, relations between the two nations still have many obstacles and are unpredictable. At present, Russia and the United States are having discussions on nuclear disarmament, which obviously include arguments about U.S. plans to establish a new missile defense system, therefore in a broader scope this means that the discussions also include the two most sensitive and complicated issues between the United States and the DPRK."
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