Clinton urges NK’s steps on nukes
By Kang Hyun-kyung
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated the U.S. government’s position on North Korea’s nuclear program Wednesday, urging the Stalinist state to take specific measures for denuclearization.
“The United States stands with our ally and we look to North Korea to take concrete steps that promote peace and stability and denuclearization,” Clinton said.
She said the South Korea-U.S. alliance has never been stronger, calling it “a linchpin to security and stability” in Northeast Asia.
Clinton made the remarks during a news conference held after talks with Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan on the sidelines of a global aid forum in Busan.
During the talks, Seoul and Washington agreed to hold a “2+2 meeting,” where the top officials of the foreign ministry and defense ministry of the two sides are to hold talks, next year.
The announcement came amid media reports that the United States was stepping up efforts to strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific region to encircle an “assertive” China.
A foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the two sides agreed to hold the talks again sometime next year.
Kim and Clinton exchanged views about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Myanmar and other regional and global issues, the official said.
The foreign ministers and defense chiefs of the two countries met in July 2010, marking the first 2+2 meeting between the two sides.
Reaffirming the strong South Korea-U.S. alliance at that time, Clinton previewed a set of “country-specific” sanctions targeting the North Korean regime.
During the news conference Wednesday, she said development assistance is not a side issue in U.S. foreign policy, stressing it is a central matter.
Clinton is the first U.S. secretary of state to participate in the global aid gathering, a move showing the strong ties between the two countries.
More than 3,000 international guests participated in the three-day aid conference in the southeastern port city of Busan which kicked off Tuesday.
High-profile figures include U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Clinton was in Busan for the global aid conference on her way to Myanmar’s commercial capital of Yangon to meet opposition party leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Clinton’s trip to Myanmar is reportedly aimed at promoting human rights and limiting alleged cooperation with North Korea on ballistic missiles and weakening China’s influence in the region.
Earlier, senior U.S. officials said maintaining and enhancing ties with countries in the Asia-Pacific region lies in the best interest of the United States at a time of China’s rise.