U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow |
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said Thursday the United States and South Korea will come up with a solution to the ongoing controversy over Seoul's decision to resume imports of American beef thorough ``additional understandings'' to their deal signed in April.
Vershbow, however, ruled out renegotiating the deal, saying it could damage the national interests of the two countries ― including the possible failure to ratify the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
His remarks were echoed by Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, who told a news conference in Seoul that South Korea will engage in ``additional talks,'' not ``renegotiations,'' with the United States this week to discuss possible revisions to the deal.
``Representatives are in Washington and Seoul, so I think some additional understandings are likely to emerge in coming days that can address concerns specifically regarding imports of beef from cattle older than 30 months,'' the ambassador said in a forum hosted by the Korean Institute for Maritime Strategy in Seoul.
He refused to elaborate on what ``additional understandings'' meant.
Vershbow asked people to ``keep in mind a few weeks ago we worked out some additional understanding when there were questions about the exact meaning of (beef) parts negotiated in April. So I think that has shown it is possible to resolve lingering problems without renegotiating the beef agreement.''
To dispel growing public concerns about the safety of American cuts, President Lee Myung-bak earlier this week sent a group of representatives to Washington to seek assurances that the United States would not ship beef from cattle older than 30 months, amid intensifying street protests in downtown Seoul against the April pact.
Young cattle are believed to be less susceptible to mad cow diseases, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
U.S. officials have expressed objections to renegotiating the deal.
Chuck Conner, the No. 2 official at the U.S. Agricultural Department, said the United States has ``national protocols that we have negotiated with the Korean government and we do not intend to renegotiate those protocols.''
Vershbow said, ``The approach I just described leaves the possibility that U.S. Congress will ratify the FTA, which we think is still possible before the end of the year. We are eager to create conditions for the ratification of the FTA both in the United States and Korea.''
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
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