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Sat, March 25, 2023 | 11:30
-------------------------
US wants Abe to reaffirm key apologies
리퍼트 美대사 "남북대화 속도·범위에 우려 없어"
Posted : 2015-01-27 20:39
Updated : 2015-01-28 12:23
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By Yi Whan-woo

U.S. Amb. Mark Lippert
U.S. Amb. Mark Lippert
The United States backs Japan's two landmark apologies on its wartime atrocities and aggression amid Tokyo's move to change wordings of the 1995 Murayama Statement, according to Washington's top envoy to Seoul, Tuesday.

"We in the U.S. continue to have expressed support for the Kono and Murayama statements and continue to believe that those are important statements that undergird this issue," U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert said in an interview with reporters at his residence in Seoul.

Lippert's remark came after Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe hinted Japan would modify the wordings of the Murayama Statement.

Named after former Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, it offered an apology for the colonial occupation. It has been a key element in relations between Seoul and Tokyo, together with the Kono Statement.

In a TV interview, Sunday, Abe said he may not use the wording that his predecessors repeatedly used in his statement to be released on Aug. 15 on the 70th anniversary of the end of the WWII.

His approach triggered criticism from many opposition leaders amid speculation that it would deepen disputes with East Asian countries, including South Korea and China over historical issues.

Lippert said he recognizes the need to improve frayed Seoul-Tokyo ties and enhance trilateral cooperation with the two countries and Washington.

"They're two very important countries, and the relationship is important. We in the U.S. recognize that this is a very difficult, very tough issue.

"Our role is not to mediate, to play a formal mediation role, but to encourage two great nations with two democratically elected leaders to come to a resolution on this," he said.

Lippert, who has close ties to U.S. President Barack Obama, turned down speculation that Seoul and Washington may be at odds over their policy toward North Korea.

President Park Geun-hye has been calling for inter-Korean dialogue, including a summit, while Obama has been geared toward imposing additional economic sanctions against the Kim Jong-un regime.

"We do not have concerns with the speed or scope of the inter-Korean dialogue as proposed by President Park," Lippert said. "We're quite comfortable there is no daylight between us, and we have a lot of confidence in the government of the Republic of Korea on this issue."

The U.S. envoy, however, pointed out that the dictatorial regime instead has been "putting caveats and conditions on the dialogue."

In relation to possible deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system, he said it is "not a zero-sum game" between the United States and China here in Korea.

"We very much want and support a good relationship between Beijing and Seoul. It's in everybody's interest that there are good relationships between Seoul and Beijing, Beijing and Washington and Washington and Seoul."

China has asked South Korea to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which Beijing is pushing to establish this year.

If set up, the new multilateral bank will rival established institutions, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, which are under the sway of the U.S. and Japan.

It would be up to Seoul to decide whether to join the AIIB, according to Lippert. He said the bank, however, will need to have certain level of standards to compete on the international stage.

"This is a decision that is to be made by the ROK," he said.

"The U.S. stance on the bank is that the important thing here is to maintain the high standards with other multilateral banks, on the environment, on transparency, on some of these core principles that other multilateral development banks have so that investments are responsible, sustainable and appropriate going forward."


리퍼트 美대사 "남북대화 속도·범위에 우려 없어"

'고노·무라야마 담화 지지…아베 담화 밑받침 중요담화'
'한국과 사드 협상 전혀 없어…사드 자체는 좋은 시스템'


마크 리퍼트 주한 미국 대사는 27일 '박근혜 대통령이 제안한 남북대화의 속도나 범위에 대해 우리는 우려를 하고 있지 않다'고 말했다.

리퍼트 대사는 이날 서울 정동 미국대사관저에서 열린 한국 언론과의 간담회에서 한미 양국간 대북정책 공조와 관련, '워싱턴과 서울 사이에는 틈이 없으며 우린 한국 정부에 확신이 있다'면서 이같이 말했다. 

그는 '한국이나 박 대통령이 조건 없이 대화를 할 수 있다고 말했는데 이번에는 북한이 그런 조건이나 여러 가지 여건을 붙이는 쪽'이라면서 '목표 자체가 남북대화의 재개라면 우리가 보기에 한국은 대화할 준비가 된 것 같은데 북한 쪽에서 조건이나 여건을 붙이는 것 같다'고 지적했다.

그는 미국과의 관계정상화 작업이 진행중인 쿠바와 북한과의 차이를 묻는 질문에 '오바마 행정부는 지난 6년간 진지한 협상에 관심이 있는 대화 상대자가 있다면 항상 관여할 준비가 돼 있었다'면서 '북한이 'CVID'(완전하고 검증 가능하며 비가역적인 비핵화)로 이어질 수 있는 진정성 있고 믿을 만한 협상을 할 준비가 있다면 다른 사례와 마찬가지로 미국 역시 대화에 임할 준비가 돼 있다'고 밝혔다. 

그는 또 고고도 미사일방어체계(THAAD)의 한반도 배치 문제와 관련, '(배치를 위한) 공식 협상을 전혀 진행하고 있지 않다. 이는 임박한 이슈가 아니다'면서도 '사드 자체에 대해 평가한다면 굉장히 좋은 시스템'이라고 말했다. 

리퍼트 대사는 이어 아베 신조(安倍晋三) 일본 총리가 최근 전후 70년 '아베 담화'에 무라야마(村山)담화 등에 포함된 과거사 반성 문구를 넣지 않을 수 있다고 시사한 것과 관련, '우리는 고노(河野)담화, 무라야마 담화를 계속 지지하는 입장'이라면서 '이 두 담화가 이 사안과 관련해 밑받침되는 두 개의 중요한 담화라고 미국은 계속해서 믿고 있다'고 말했다.

이는 일본 정부가 아베 담화에 과거 담화의 핵심 내용을 포함시켜야 한다는 미국의 입장을 밝힌 것으로 풀이된다. 

그는 한일관계와 관련, '지금까지 6차례 (한일) 국장급 협의가 있었고 우리 역할은 이런 대화를 계속 격려하는 것'이라면서 '이런 대화로 한국 국민과 정부가 만족할 만한 결론으로 이어지길 바라고 양국간 (관계) 진전으로 이어지길 바라고 있다'고 말했다.

그는 일본의 집단자위권 행사를 지지하는 미국 입장을 재확인하면서 '동시에 일본이 가능한 투명해야 한다는 점도 무척 중요하게 생각한다. 주변국들이 이해하는 게 중요하고 한국과 중국을 이해시키라고 도쿄에 이야기하고 있다'고 밝혔다.

그는 그러나 일본이 군사대국화의 길을 가고 있으며 중일간 군비경쟁을 촉발될 수 있다는 지적에는 '일본의 방위비 지출은 국내총생산(GDP)에 비교해 굉장히 작은 비율'이라며서 '그 지점에 도달할 때까지 아주 한참 가야 한다'고 말했다.

이밖에 중국이 주도하는 아시아인프라개발은행(AIIB) 문제에 대해서는 '미국 입장은 은행이라는 것은 기준이 높아야 한다는 것'이라면서 '다른 다자 은행과 마찬가지로 환경이나 투명성 같은 핵심 원칙에 있어 수준이 높아야 한다'고 비판적인 인식을 보였다.

이와 관련, 그는 한국이 중국에 경도됐다는 우려가 워싱턴에 있는 것 아니냐는 지적에는 '우리는 좋은 한중 관계를 원하고 지지한다'면서 '(미국 및 중국과의 관계는) 제로섬 게임이 아니다'고 말했다. 

또 한미 자유무역협정(FTA)에 대해서는 '수준높고 복잡하고 중요한 무역 협정이 다 그렇듯이 아직 우리가 해야 할 일이 있다'면서 '양국민 모두에게 혜택이 돌아가도록 노력하고 있다'고 밝혔다. (연합뉴스)
Emailyistory@ktimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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