By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The United States has asked Australia, New Zealand and the European Union if they could provide energy aid to North Korea instead of Japan, which is unable to participate in a multinational energy assistance program in return for the communist state's nuclear disablement, South Korea's top diplomat said Friday.
In an exclusive interview on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of The Korea Times that falls today, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan mentioned there might be some differences in the ``philosophy'' of managing the South Korea-U.S. alliance when Barack Obama of the Democratic Party is elected in the U.S. presidential election Tuesday.
But he said overall relations between Seoul and Washington would remain solid regardless of who is elected as the next U.S. president because the two country's shared values and national interests have expanded to a great extent in recent years _ ranging from the military alliance and politics to economics and culture.
``Of course, certain changes will take place in the long-term when the new (U.S.) leader takes office, but I'm sure the allies will be able to adapt to these changes,'' Yu said. ``I don't believe any drastic changes will occur immediately to adversely affect our national interests.''
He apparently referred to efforts by the two allies to upgrade their relationship to a ``strategic alliance'' in which they will cooperate to deal with common interests and global challenges, such as international peacekeeping operations, terrorism, climate change and the non-proliferation of weapons, far beyond the security and politics surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
A case in point for the upgraded alliance is South Korea's forthcoming joining in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). South Koreans are expected to be able to visit the United States for up to three months visa-free from the middle of this month at the earliest, according to foreign ministry officials.
Minister Yu said the United States has recently tapped the opinions of three parties _ Australia, New Zealand and the EU _ on providing energy assistance to North Korea in a low-key manner.
``Once agreed, the relevant parties would share energy assistance (born by Japan) valued at some $100 million, though we don't know yet how much and in what way each party will contribute,'' he said.
The minister said the issue would be discussed by participating nations at the six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear programs involving the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia during a new round slated for mid-November.
``The issue (of energy aid by the third parties) will be discussed at the six-party talks and formally requested to parties concerned,'' he noted. ``There is still the possibility that Japan will change its position and provide energy aid as the United States has urged North Korea to resolve the abduction issue. While sympathizing with Japan's position related to the issue of abductees, I hope that an environment for Japan's participation could be made possible at an early date.''
He added the next round of six-party talks was expected to reopen in mid-November before the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Lima, Peru, from Nov. 22 to 23.
Under a landmark aid-for-disarmament agreement reached in February last year, North Korea is supposed to receive one million tons of heavy fuel oil or its equivalent in aid and other political concessions from the five other countries, in exchange for fully disabling its nuclear facilities and programs.
The five have shipped nearly 500,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or its equivalent in aid to the Stalinist state since then, and the United States has removed the North from its list of nations sponsoring terrorism.
Seoul, which chairs a six-party working group for energy assistance, has provided about 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and 95,000 tons of energy-related material or equipment to Pyongyang.
However, Tokyo, which promised to provide 200,000 tons of heavy oil or its equivalent in aid, has not provided Pyongyang with anything yet, citing the unresolved issue of the North's abduction of Japanese nationals.
North Korean agents kidnapped Japanese civilians in the 1970s and 1980s. Only 16 have officially been identified by the Japanese government, which believes there may have been as many as 80 abducted.
Yu stressed the second-phase denuclearization process for verifying the North's nuclear programs and materials under the so-called Feb. 13 pact should be completed by the year-end when the Bush administration will hand over duties to a new president's power transition team after the U.S. presidential election Nov. 4.
``We're not just in a wait-and-see position but making active efforts to have the second-phase process be completed by the end of the year, so that the six-party framework will be able to maintain momentum under the new U.S. government, which will inevitably review the North Korea nuclear issue,'' he said.