 President Lee Myung-bak speaks with U.S. President Barack Obama, seen in a file photo, from Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. During the 25-minute phone conversation, they discussed a joint response to the March 26 sinking of the South Korean Navy vessel Cheonan. Obama pledged his country’s full support for South Korea and its handling of the incident. / Korea Times |
Clinton to visit next week to discuss joint response
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff reporter
U.S. President Barack Obama expressed his full backing for South Korea and its investigation into the sinking of the Navy vessel Cheonan near the inter-Korean West Sea border, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday.
President Lee Myung-bak and Obama spoke over the phone for about 25 minutes earlier to discuss a joint response to the naval tragedy.
"Obama told Lee that he fully trusts Seoul and backs its handling of the incident," the presidential office said in a press release.
Obama said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will fly to Seoul next week to discuss the case, adding the U.S. will closely cooperate with South Korea to deal with the aftermath. Clinton is scheduled to hold high-level meetings in Beijing from May 24 to 25.
Following weeks of joint investigations by naval experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia, the South Korean military will announce the results on Thursday.
Sources say the investigators have concluded that the cause of the sinking, which claimed the lives of 46 sailors, was a surprise torpedo attack by North Korea.
President Lee plans to call the leaders of the countries involved in the six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program this week to share the outcome and urge a joint international reaction to the alleged act of provocation, his aides said.
The Lee administration is seeking to refer the case to the U.N. Security Council, but it's not clear whether Obama would back the move.
Following the conversation between Lee and Obama, the White House said in a statement, "They emphasized the importance of obtaining a full accounting of the event and committed to follow the facts of the investigation wherever they lead."
It, however, stopped short of blaming North Korea.
"The leaders reiterated that North Korea must live up to its commitment to eliminate its nuclear-weapons program, comply with its international obligations under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, and put an end to belligerent behavior toward its neighbors," said the statement.
Secretary Clinton will make another visit to Seoul in July, along with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, for the first-ever two plus two security talks with their South Korean counterparts. The upcoming meeting is the result of an agreement made between Lee and Obama in Seoul last November.
The two leaders also agreed to hold a bilateral summit in late June on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Toronto, Canada, Cheong Wa Dae said.
천안함 관련 오바마 한국 지지
청와대는 화요일 오바마 미 대통령이 정부와 천안함 사태 경위조사를 전폭 지지하겠다는 의사를 밝혔다고 전했다.
이명박 대통령과 오바마 대통령은 이날 오전 25분 간 전화통화에서 서해안 접경 인근 수역에서 침몰한 천안함 관련 합동 대응을 할지에 대해 논의했다.
청와대는 "오바마 대통령은 이 대통령에게 한국정부를 신뢰하며, 천안함 사태 처리 과정을 지지한다고 말했다" 며 보도자료를 통해 밝혔다.
오바마 대통령은 또한 힐러리 클린턴 미 국무장관이 다음 주 천안함 사태를 논의하기 위해 방한할 예정이며, 미국 정부는 한국과 긴밀하게 협력, 사후처리를 할 것이라 말한 것으로 전해졌다. 클린턴 장관은 내달 5월 24일에서 25일까지 베이징에서 고위회담도 가질 예정이다.
미국, 영국, 스웨덴, 호주의 해군전문가들과의 공동 조사가 끝난 후, 국방부는 목요일 조사결과를 발표할 예정이다. 소식통에 따르면 합동조사단은 북한 어뢰 급습을 초계함 침몰의 원인으로 잠정 결론지은 것으로 알려졌다.
청와대 관계자들의 말에 따르면, 이 대통령은 이번 주 북핵 관련 6자회담 당사국의 정상들과 조사결과를 논의하는 반면 북한의 무력도발에 대해 국제적인 공동대응을 촉구할 예정이다.
이명박 정부는 유엔안보리에 이번 사태를 상정하려 하지만 오바마 대통령이 이 같은 조치를 지지할 지는 분명치 않다.
한-미 정상간의 전화통화 후, 백악관은 보도자료를 통해 "양 정상은 사태 원인을 완벽하게 규명하는게 중요하다고 강조하고 어떻게 나오는 조사결과에 따르기로 합의했다" 고 밝혔다.
하지만 백악관은 북한을 비난하는 데 까진 가지 않았다.
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