Adam
08-05-02, 12:12 PM
Koreas to discuss reunions, rail line in high-level talks
North's missile program not on next week's agenda
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Associated Press
Originally published August 5, 2002
SEOUL, South Korea -- North and South Korea agreed yesterday to discuss reunions of families separated by the Korean War, a cross-border rail line and joint economic projects in the impoverished North during Cabinet-level talks next week.
The decision to reopen high-level talks after a nine-month hiatus signaled that the inter-Korean reconciliation process is back on track, although more sensitive issues such as North Korea's missile program were not on the agenda.
In another sign of thawing relations, the U.S.-led United Nations Command in Seoul said it would meet with North Korean officers tomorrow to discuss a deadly naval clash between the Koreas on June 29.
Last week, North Korea proposed meeting with the command, which oversees the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. The meeting will take place at the border village of Panmunjom, where the armistice was signed.
In a joint statement issued after three days of talks in the North, delegates from the two Koreas said the North promised to participate in a regional sports competition being held next month by the South.
The statement called for the two sides to hold Cabinet-level talks in Seoul Aug. 12-14, which would be the first between Korean ministers since November. Ties deteriorated in January after President Bush called North Korea part of an "axis of evil" trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.
A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the department would not have any comment yesterday on the talks.
The Koreas have held six rounds of Cabinet-level negotiations since leaders met for the first time in the summer of 2000.
North Korea said it would participate in the 14th Asian Games, to be held in South Korea's southern port city of Busan from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, the joint statement said. The offer is significant because the isolated state had shunned major international sporting events in South Korea, including this year's soccer World Cup.
South Korea will "provide active cooperation and support" for the North Korean delegation taking part in the Busan Games and for a North Korean soccer team that will travel to Seoul early next month for a friendly match, the statement said.
An analyst in Seoul said North Korea's dire economic situation left it no choice but to negotiate with the South, a major source of aid.
The working-level discussions over the weekend followed an expression of regret by North Korea for the June 29 naval clash that left casualties on both sides.
Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun
Source. (http://sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.korea05aug05.story?coll=bal%2Dnationworld%2Dhea dlines)
North's missile program not on next week's agenda
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press
Originally published August 5, 2002
SEOUL, South Korea -- North and South Korea agreed yesterday to discuss reunions of families separated by the Korean War, a cross-border rail line and joint economic projects in the impoverished North during Cabinet-level talks next week.
The decision to reopen high-level talks after a nine-month hiatus signaled that the inter-Korean reconciliation process is back on track, although more sensitive issues such as North Korea's missile program were not on the agenda.
In another sign of thawing relations, the U.S.-led United Nations Command in Seoul said it would meet with North Korean officers tomorrow to discuss a deadly naval clash between the Koreas on June 29.
Last week, North Korea proposed meeting with the command, which oversees the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War. The meeting will take place at the border village of Panmunjom, where the armistice was signed.
In a joint statement issued after three days of talks in the North, delegates from the two Koreas said the North promised to participate in a regional sports competition being held next month by the South.
The statement called for the two sides to hold Cabinet-level talks in Seoul Aug. 12-14, which would be the first between Korean ministers since November. Ties deteriorated in January after President Bush called North Korea part of an "axis of evil" trying to develop weapons of mass destruction.
A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the department would not have any comment yesterday on the talks.
The Koreas have held six rounds of Cabinet-level negotiations since leaders met for the first time in the summer of 2000.
North Korea said it would participate in the 14th Asian Games, to be held in South Korea's southern port city of Busan from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, the joint statement said. The offer is significant because the isolated state had shunned major international sporting events in South Korea, including this year's soccer World Cup.
South Korea will "provide active cooperation and support" for the North Korean delegation taking part in the Busan Games and for a North Korean soccer team that will travel to Seoul early next month for a friendly match, the statement said.
An analyst in Seoul said North Korea's dire economic situation left it no choice but to negotiate with the South, a major source of aid.
The working-level discussions over the weekend followed an expression of regret by North Korea for the June 29 naval clash that left casualties on both sides.
Copyright © 2002, The Baltimore Sun
Source. (http://sunspot.net/news/nationworld/bal-te.korea05aug05.story?coll=bal%2Dnationworld%2Dhea dlines)