Kim and Clinton unveil Korean peace initiative
Kim and Clinton unveil Korean peace initiative
CHEJU ISLAND, South Korea (Agencies): U.S. President Bill Clinton and South Korean leader Kim Young-sam yesterday called on North Korea and China to join talks aimed at securing a permanent peace on the tense Korean peninsula.
They announced the new peace initiative after meeting on the South Korean resort island of Cheju to discuss Pyongyang's troop incursions that flouted an armistice ending the 1950-53 Korean War.
"It can begin as soon as possible and there are no preconditions," Clinton told a joint news conference.
Both leaders said Pyongyang was not likely to jump at the offer, which Seoul conveyed to Pyongyang last Sunday. Kim said he had written a long letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
"I would caution that we should not expect an immediate positive response," Clinton said, adding North Korea's economic woes may make it more difficult for Pyongyang to agree.
The four countries are parties to the armistice that ended the Korean War. There has never been a formal peace treaty.
Clinton flatly ruled out bilateral talks with Pyongyang, saying peace was the responsibility of Koreans alone.
"Time is on our side," said Kim. "I believe that eventually North Korea will accept our proposal."
Three armed intrusions into the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone this month were part of Pyongyang's efforts to negotiate a peace pact directly with Washington, bypassing Seoul and driving a wedge between the South and its leading ally.
Clinton said truce violations increased the danger of "an accident, a mistake, or a miscalculation that could have grave consequences".
China has so far declined to comment on the talks offer, although U.S. officials said approaches to China through diplomatic channels had produced "understanding".
Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto called the proposal a "great initiative" and urged North Korea to respond positively.
There are fears that hunger and fuel shortages in North Korea could press Pyongyang to desperate acts, although few people believe the North is about to invade the South.
Meanwhile, Russia insisted yesterday that it should have a role in negotiations to settle tensions on the Korean peninsula following a U.S. proposal to hold four-way talks with North and South Korea and China.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Demurin told a news briefing Moscow was still pushing for a multilateral conference and that Russia, once a close ally of the communist leadership in Pyongyang, must play a role. It shares a frontier with North Korea close to the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
"The Russian position is that the problems of the Korean peninsula should be settled on a multilateral basis, taking account of the interests of all the parties involved," Demurin said. Narrower negotiations tended not to work, he said.
Gamble -- Page 4
Ties-- Page 12