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Request for October meeting agreed on by the White House
September 29, 2007
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It is “highly probable that the meeting between the two men will occur on Oct. 15 or 16,” said Lee’s spokesman Park Hyeong-joon in announcing the unusual event yesterday. “Mr. Lee is expected to visit the U.S. from the 14th to the 17th next month to meet with influential figures in the political and financial community,” said Park. “The U.S. president will be one of them.” He said the meeting was confirmed through Melissa S. Bennett, the special assistant to the president, in an official document yesterday. “Mr. Lee has always emphasized the importance of global diplomacy,” Park said, explaining the significance of the upcoming meeting, which Lee requested. “The meeting will go on for at least an hour and they will talk about diverse issues, including ways to enhance the bilateral alliance,” said Kang Young-woo, the policy advisor of the National Council on Disability of the U.S. White House. Kang helped arrange the Lee-Bush meeting. Along with Kang, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and her husband, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and former Attorney General Richard Thornburgh delivered Lee’s request to the White House. Among the items that they are likely to discuss are the as-yet unratified free trade deal and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Lee, 66, is currently enjoying an approval rating above 50-percent in most polls. President Roh Moo-hyun has often called Lee’s conservative views dangerous and harmful. “This meeting is a way for the U.S. to express its discontent toward Korea’s current U.S. policies,” said a former U.S. ambassador to Seoul, asking for anonymity. “But it seems the Bush administration has judged that they like Lee’s ideas on foreign policy.” The Blue House seemed uncomfortable with the news. There has frequently been tension between Roh’s liberal Blue House and the tough conservatism of the Bush White House. A senior aide to Roh scoffed at the announcement, calling it “pro-American flunkeyism.” In 1987, candidate Roh Tae-woo met with Ronald Reagan for a 30-minute talk before the Korean presidential election, leading to charges that the United States was trying to influence the outcome of the race, which Roh won. Both Roh’s opponents that year were liberals. President Bush did not meet Roh Moo-hyun or his conservative rival Lee Hoi-chang five years ago, although Lee visited the United States prior to the 2002 election. Meanwhile, Lee is also planning a trip to Russia, but the date has yet to be fixed. A spokesman cited the busy domestic political situation in Russia, which recently witnessed a major cabinet reshuffle, as a reason for the delay. By Shin Yong-ho / Lee Min-a JoongAng Ilbo / Staff Writer [mina@joongang.co.kr] |
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