[EXCERPTS] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing Thursday, March 27, 1997

[EXCERPTS] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing

Thursday, March 27, 1997 Briefer: John Dinger

Q: The South Koreans are saying that the North Koreans have said, sure, we'll participate in Four-Party Talks if you guarantee food aid. (A) have you gotten any indication -- and I don't want to tie it to a formal reply -- from the North Koreans about their intentions on the Four-Party Talks; and (b) are they making guaranteed food aid a condition of their participation?

DINGER: Let me give you what I have, and then you can see if you have any follow-on questions.

U.S. and South Korean government officials held a working level meeting with officials of North Korea's U.N. Mission in New York, March 26. The purpose was to further explore issues involving the Four-Party peace proposal. This followed up on a joint U.S.-ROK briefing to the DPRK on March 5, also in New York.

No agreement of any sort was reached at yesterday's meeting. We understand the DPRK is still considering our proposal. The meeting, though, was useful in clarifying positions, and we hope that the DPRK will agree soon to Four-Party Talks. I don't want to get into the details of our discussions. The North did raise, as expected, its severe food shortage situation; and, as you all know, we appreciate the severity of that problem. In fact, we have donated a considerable amount to that effort.

The U.S. at this time, however, has no plans to provide additional food aid to North Korea. We continue to closely monitor the food situation there and the assessment of the situation made by the WFP and other international humanitarian relief organizations. Regarding South Korea, I would refer you to the South Korean Government.

Just to give you all the information I probably will have for you, I'll note that the DPRK suggested the meeting. All parties involved had agreed that it would be useful to hold a follow-up meeting to discuss the Four-Party proposal.

At the present time, we don't have any plans for any further working level meetings along these lines.

Just to complete what I have, the lead participants were working level officials from the South Korean Embassy in Washington, the North Korean Mission to the U.N., and from the Department's Office of Korean Affairs -- that was the Director, Mark Minton -- and from the National Security Council.

Q: Well, I mean, in principle is there any problem -- would there be any problem with guaranteeing to North Korea that you and the South Koreans would provide them with a certain amount of food in return for what you consider a big gain, which is peace talks?

DINGER: I guess two points on that. First, we think it's in everybody's interests and certainly the North Korean's interests to engage in these Four-Party Talks. I think they stand alone as being in everyone's interest.

Second, we have from the beginning provided food aid and humanitarian assistance based on humanitarian needs, not linked to political developments, and that is how we intend to continue.

Q: John, a follow-up to that. Brian Atwood has written op-ed pieces in the International Herald Tribune suggesting that food aid to North Korea is linked to reform in North Korea. You're saying it's unconditional. Who's right?

DINGER: I haven't seen Administrator Atwood's articles to which you refer. I can only say that our food aid has been, is, and will be provided based on humanitarian needs.

Q: You never really answered Carol's question, in which she said she didn't want to link anything -- any communications from the North Koreans to any formal process necessarily. You said there was no agreement on their participation in the Four-Party Talks, but has there been any kind of indication, informal or from any source, that they are prepared to say yes, perhaps provided that there will be more food aid?

DINGER: I just don't want to get into the details of these meetings. We have consistently not revealed details of the back-and-forth in the meetings. I can tell you that the North did raise and they have raised and we expect them to raise their food situation in these meetings. Of course, we've addressed that by replying to several appeals by the World Food Program.

Q: Can you tell us if that was raised in the context of their putting conditions on these sessions?

DINGER: I just can't tell you that.

Q: This is Chung-soo Lee, Korean Broadcasting System. I'd like to ask a follow-on question. It is said that in Seoul, North Korea told South Korea and the United States to accept the Four-Party meeting conditionally if South Korea and the United States guaranteed the food aid -- substantial food aid to North Korea, that they can accept the Four-Party meeting. Is it right?

DINGER: I did just address that issue. I could repeat it briefly. The North did raise the dire food shortage situation in North Korea, as we expected. The U.S. has no plans at this time to provide additional food aid to North Korea. We continue to monitor the situation closely. We will consider future appeals for food aid, but we contribute food aid based on humanitarian needs.

Q: Does the United States take the position that no more major food aid will be provided until the Four-Party Talks begin?

DINGER: No, we do not take that position. We are monitoring the situation. We have responded to appeals in the past. We are certainly willing to address or analyze future appeals. We do not at the present time have any plans to provide additional food aid.

Q: Although food aid is not directly linked to the Four-Party Talks, is the U.S. willing to discuss food aid at the Four-Party Talks? Has that come up?

DINGER: I tell you, I believe that in virtually every encounter we have with the DPRK, they do raise the issue of their food shortages, so I really don't want to speculate on what would come up in talks that have not been agreed to. But this is a subject that is routinely raised by the North Koreans.

Q: Without going into details, can you say if the tone of the meetings was more positive than past meetings?

DINGER: I don't have any characterization along those lines. As far as I know, we had actually quite good -- I don't remember -- does anybody remember the words that we used last time -- constructive, I suppose -- purposeful? I don't remember what they were.

Q: Yes. Frank and substantive.

DINGER: Frank and substantive. As far as I know, the tone of these talks was consistent with our previous meetings.

Q: I'd like to ask you to comment on this scenario. When North Korea first announced to accept the Four-Party meeting unconditionally, almost simultaneously South Korea announced its intention of the guarantee of substantial food aid to North Korea. What's your comment on this scenario?

DINGER: I have no comment on that scenario at all. They had talks. We believe that we have put forth a very reasonable proposal for Four-Party Talks. We laid that out in the joint briefing on March 5 in New York. The North Koreans said that they needed to study it; that they would come back to us with a formal reply. We believe there's no reason not to have a positive reply, but we have not yet received that reply.

Q: Zaire?

DINGER: Sure. Still one on North Korea.

Q: John, in yesterday's meeting, did you talk with those issues like joint research on the MIA, missile talks, liaison offices?

DINGER: I don't have those details. This was a tripartite discussion. I would just be assuming. I'm sorry. I don't have those details. It's very possible that since these were tripartite talks, that what are basically bilateral issues, if they came up at all, were not central to the discussion. But I'm sorry, I can't verify that.

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[EXCERPTS] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing

Thursday, March 27, 1997 Briefer: John Dinger