In a show of unity, United States President George Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun declared on Thursday that a nuclear-armed North Korea ”will not be tolerated” and agreed that the problem should be resolved through peaceful diplomacy.
The two leaders spoke at a news conference in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Korea. About 250 demonstrators, carrying signs that said ”Stop Bush,” gathered at the train station in the city to protest the president’s visit.
Bush and Roh met ahead of a 21-member trade and economic summit whose members include the leaders of the five countries — the US, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan — negotiating with North Korea for its nuclear disarmament. North Korea is not attending the summit.
Roh called his fifth meeting with Bush ”constructive”. He said the second phase of the fifth round of six-party talks should be held as soon as possible in order to find a breakthrough.
”We have no disagreements at all that this issue must be resolved,” Roh said.
”We reiterated that a nuclear-armed North Korea will not be tolerated and reaffirmed that the issue should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means,” Roh said through a translator.
Bush agreed.
”It’s in the world’s interest that this happen,” Bush said. ”It’s also in our interest that we continue to work together to solve the problem. I see a peninsula one day that is united and at peace.”
North Korean demand
Bush said the US will not comply with North Korea’s demand that it be provided with a light-water nuclear reactor before it disarms, a stumbling block in the talks.
”We’ll consider the light-water reactor at the appropriate time,” Bush said. ”The appropriate time is after they have verifiably given up their nuclear weapons and/or programme.”
Roh said the two leaders talked at length about the North Korean nuclear issue and exchanged views about North Korea’s attitude and tactics.
”We are basically looking to resolve this North Korean nuclear issue, and we are exploring more ways that we can resolve this issue,” Roh said.
The two leaders endorsed a joint declaration expressing satisfaction with ”the steady development” of the US-South Korean alliance.
He played down disputes with the US and said the current state of relations with the North represents ”perhaps the most stable situation between the two Koreas that you have ever seen. And the Korea-US dialogue is going on very smoothly.”
South Korea has resisted the tough approach advocated by the Bush administration for ending the impasse with North Korea, opposing the idea of military action if diplomacy fails. South Korea also is cool to the idea of taking the standoff to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.
Troubled Bush
Bush’s eight-day journey to Asia offers him a reprieve from troubles at home, where his approval rating has fallen to the lowest point of his presidency. Unhappiness over the war in Iraq has hurt Bush’s popularity and credibility, and Republicans are nervous about how the war and the president’s other woes will affect next year’s mid-term elections.
Roh has been a major supporter of Bush’s Iraq policy. South Korea is the third-largest contributor of troops behind the US and Britain, deploying more than 3 000 soldiers. Like Bush, Roh’s domestic approval ratings are down, and his foes call him a lame duck.
Bush flew to South Korea for the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, representing 21 economies that account for about half the world’s trade. Apec is expected to call for progress at the next round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Hong Kong next month toward a global trade agreement.
Apec represents ”a significant bloc in the WTO membership”, said Faryar Shirzad, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. ”And so when they speak and lay out an agenda of ambition, it’s an agenda that the membership at the WTO takes note of and helps drive the negotiating dynamics in a constructive way.”
In addition to the Apec meetings, Bush will hold separate talks with the leaders of Malaysia, Russia and Indonesia before travelling to China on Saturday.
Looking ahead to talks about North Korea, Bush said his objective is to remind his partners that they need to stick together and send a consistent message.
The most recent round of negotiations adjourned on Friday with no sign of progress, but it’s likely they will resume in Beijing next month or in January. In September, North Korea promised to end its nuclear programme in exchange for aid, diplomatic recognition and security guarantees. — Sapa-AP