Talks Underway Over Possible S-N Summit
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
South Korea is talking with the United States, Japan, China and Russia over a possible summit between President Lee Myung-bak and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Seoul's top diplomat said Wednesday.
"It is important to cooperate closely with these countries regarding the summit issue," Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yu Myung-hwan said during an interview. "The government is in discussions with them over a possible summit."
It's the first time that a South Korean official has confirmed rumors that the two Koreas are pushing for an inter-Korean summit amid international efforts to resume the stalled six-nation talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program.
On Tuesday, President Lee told Cabinet ministers that he would not pay any "price" for his meeting with Kim and, if the summit takes place, would put the nuclear issue high on the agenda, in what was viewed as a message to the North Korean leader.
Minister Yu reiterated the President's stance, saying, "Our principle is that we will hold an inter-Korean summit at any time if it is helpful in resolving the nuclear issue."
Regarding the North's insistence of turning an armistice into a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, Yu said it was not a bilateral issue between North Korea and the United States, but should be discussed among the four nations directly involved in the war - the two Koreas, the United States and China.
Pyongyang has demanded direct talks with Washington to sign the peace treaty, in an apparent move to divert attention from denuclearization.
The North has rejected any discussion of the nuclear issue with the South, claiming that it should be settled with the United States.
"There will be no inter-Korean summit unless the North gives up its nuclear program. It should know that only South Korea can help it," a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said.
In recent weeks, Pyongyang has proposed talks to resume tourism and economic projects with Seoul, raising hopes here that the stalled inter-Korean ties will see a breakthrough soon.
The gesture doesn't mean that the communist country is truly changing and is ready to discuss denuclearization, Lee's aides said.
Last year, North Korea said it would not return to the six-party talks until the start of negotiations for a peace treaty and the removal of U.N.-imposed sanctions.
Minister Yu made it clear that the removal of sanctions was not possible unless North Korea returns to the denuclearization talks, last held in December 2008.
"Neither The U.S. or any other country can decide to unilaterally remove the sanctions because, according to the U.N. Security Council resolution, there must first be progress in the nuclear issue to ease or remove them," he said.