Lee, Clinton agree to work for early FTA ratification

By Na Jeong-ju

President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed Sunday to step up efforts to achieve early ratification of the free trade agreement (FTA) between the two allies and strengthen policy coordination on denuclearizing North Korea.

Their meeting at Cheong Wa Dae came amid Washington’s push to get Congress to approve the free trade deal, first signed in 2007 by both governments and adjusted last December.

The agreement has been stuck in the parliaments of both nations and Seoul’s National Assembly is apparently awaiting U.S. approval first.

Lee told Clinton that the two countries should make joint efforts to achieve an early ratification of the deal, saying more than three years of delay in its ratification is preventing the two countries from enjoying the enormous economic and security benefits it would bring about, Cheong Wa Dae said in a statement.

Clinton responded that the U.S. will make its best efforts for its ratification at an early date, reaffirming President Barack Obama’s strong commitment to the agreement.

The top American diplomat arrived in Seoul on Saturday and, after the talks with Lee, flew to Japan later on Sunday for the final leg of a global tour.

Clinton’s trip coincided with China’s push to reopen the stalled six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear program.

Lee told Clinton that the alliance between the two countries is being upgraded to a higher level through coordinating policies on North Korea and other regional and global issues, Cheong Wa Dae said.

“Secretary Clinton said that the two countries are maintaining a stronger alliance on North Korean issues than at any other time and will continue to cooperate closely in dealing with them,” it said.

The presidential office gave no further details on the discussions between Lee and Clinton on North Korea.

Last week, China’s top nuclear envoy Wu Dawei, following a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Beijing, proposed that the nuclear delegates of the two Koreas hold dialogue to pave the way for the resumption of the six-nation talks. South Korea reacted positively to the suggestion.

Her trip also came amid speculation that Washington might be moving to resume food aid to the North. Seoul is apparently against resuming any massive food assistance to the North as it could undercut international pressure on Pyongyang to apologize for its two deadly attacks on the South last year.

Clinton and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan held talks on Saturday and agreed that North Korea should show sincerity first and act responsibly to move the six-nation talks forward.

The diplomats renewed their condemnation of the ongoing uranium enrichment project by North Korea and agreed to press the international community to sternly deal with it.

In other topics, Clinton hoped that Seoul and Washington will further strengthen cooperation to promote democracy and peace in the Middle East, saying the matter is directly related to world peace. She praised Seoul for its pledge of $500 million in assistance for war-torn Afghanistan.

Lee and Clinton also agreed to work together to help Japan recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami, and to exchange information on the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Clinton expressed hope that South Korea, as host for next year’s Nuclear Security Summit, will play a leading role in ensuring global nuclear safety given heightened global attention on the matter in the wake of Japan’s nuclear crisis, Cheong Wa Dae said.

이명박 대통령은 17일 청와대에서 힐러리 클린턴 미국 국무장관을 접견하고 한미 FTA 비준과 전략동맹 강화 등 양국 주요 관심사에 대해 의견을 교환했다.

이 대통령은 “한미 FTA 발효가 3년 이상 지체돼 협정이 가져올 막대한 경제, 안보적 이익을 양국 국민이 누리지 못하고 있다”면서 “한미 FTA의 조속한 비준을 위해 함께 노력하자”고 말했다고 청와대는 전했다.

이에 대해 클린턴 미 국무장관은 “한미 FTA에 대한 버락 오바마 미 대통령의 의지가 강력하다”고 재확인하면서 “조기 비준을 위해 최선의 노력을 다하겠다”고 밝혔다.

클린턴 국무장관은 또한 미국의 대북 식량 지원 재개와 북한의 비핵화 문제에 대해서는 한국과 긴밀히 공조, 협의해 나가겠다고 밝혔다.