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November 14, 2009
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Obama made his remarks in an exclusive written interview with Yonhap News Agency just hours before he left Washington for an eight-day trip that brings him to South Korea, Japan, China and Singapore. “This is the choice that North Korea faces,” Obama said. “North Korea has the opportunity to move towards acceptance by the international community if it will comply with its international obligations and live up to its own commitments. By taking irreversible steps towards the complete elimination of its nuclear program, North Korea will be following the peaceful path towards security and respect.” Obama’s remarks follow a rare inter-Korean skirmish Tuesday, which crippled a North Korean patrol ship that intruded on South Korean waters and ignored warning shots, prompting media speculation that North Korea was trying to attract U.S. attention ahead of Obama’s visit to Seoul next week. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday said the naval clash will not affect U.S. plans to send Stephen Bosworth, special representative for North Korea policy, to Pyongyang “in the near future” as part of the six-party process. The State Department said Tuesday the U.S. point man on North Korea will visit Pyongyang “sometime between now and the end of the year” to discuss the resumption of the six-party talks, deadlocked over U.N. sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests. Obama said his administration is ready to have a bilateral dialogue with North Korea within the six-party framework. “We believe the six-party talks are the best framework for reaching peaceful resolution and that the September 2005 Joint Statement clearly lays out the goals we must achieve,” he said. “We are open to a bilateral meeting as part of the six-party process if that will lead to an expeditious resumption of the denuclearization negotiations.” The 2005 deal calls for the North’s nuclear dismantlement in return for hefty economic aid, diplomatic recognition and establishment of a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula to replace the fragile armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. The U.S. president, however, warned that the North will continue facing international sanctions unless it abandons its nuclear ambitions. “North Korea’s attempt to acquire weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them is destabilizing and represents a threat to peace and security,” he said. “This is why the United Nations Security Council adopted strong measures under Resolution 1874 and why the UN members states are enforcing the provisions of those resolutions.” The U.S. sees the North’s recent conciliatory overtures as the result of international financial sanctions and an overall arms embargo effectively cutting off revenues from arms sales, one of the few sources of hard currency for the impoverished state. “Pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems makes North Korea and the region less secure, whereas negotiations in the six-party process to achieve the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can bring security and prosperity to North Korea and the region,” he said. Obama said that North Korea will be a top issue at the summit meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul next week. “North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities are a grave concern, not only to the Republic of Korea and the United States, but to the international community,” he said. “This is an issue that President Lee and I have discussed in depth and we will hold consultations on this and other subjects in Seoul later this month.” Obama also said he will seek a comprehensive resolution of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, putting an end to the controversy over the so-called grand bargain approach Lee recently proposed for the denuclearization of North Korea through a comprehensive deal rather than a piecemeal approach. “President Lee and I are in full agreement on the need to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the nuclear, missile, and proliferation problems, and cooperation between our two governments is extremely close,” he said. The grand bargain envisions a package deal in which members of the six-nation talks provide Pyongyang with security guarantees, massive economic aid and other incentives in return for a complete deal that does not necessitate further negotiations. In the interview, Obama also expressed hope for South Korea’s leading role in the global efforts to overcome the worst recession in decades, saying South Korea’s hosting of the G-20 summit next November exemplifies its rags-to-riches record. “South Korea’s emergence as host of the G-20 leaders meeting next year is the latest evidence that South Korea is playing an important leadership role on the world stage,” Obama said. “I am pleased that South Korea has agreed to host the G-20 meeting next year and the U.S. will help support their efforts to ensure that the meeting is a success.” Obama is said to be one of the strongest supporters of South Korea’s hosting of the G-20 and its annualization, although Japan, which unsuccessfully lobbied to host the second or third G-20 summit this year, and a few advanced economies dislike the idea of the G-20 replacing the G8. South Korea was chosen as the host of the fifth G-20 summit at the third summit in Pittsburgh in September amid talk of a shift of power from the world’s richest countries to China and other emerging economies. The G8 is being eclipsed as the primary forum for global economic cooperation. The fourth G-20 summit will be held in Canada in June on the sidelines of the G8 forum, and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said that the Canada G8 will focus on security issues. “South Korea’s hosting of the G-20 next year is also a prime example of the economic success it has had in a relatively short period of time and its movement into the ranks of the world’s leading economies,” Obama said. The U.S. president also lauded the role of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in South Korea’s fast economic recovery. “President Lee has done a superb job steering South Korea’s economy through the economic downturn and now on an upward trajectory, and I am looking forward to his continued strong leadership in the Asia-Pacific region on the economic policy front,” Obama said. A senior White House official, asking for anonymity, said that Obama will discuss South Korea’s global leadership with Lee in Seoul. “I think that the story of Korea for us is one of dynamic transformation from a local Korea to a global Korea,” he said. Yonhap |
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