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Rice, fertilizer pledged ahead of six-party nuclear talks
Why doesnât the US just pull out of Korea, and let the "sunshine policy" just take itâs course. Dependancy is a hard addiction to break. The sooner they face reality the better.When South Korea and North Korea ended their ministerial meeting yesterday, the Seoul government hailed the latest inter-Korean talks as a success. This was because the Northâs agreement to hold high-level military talks and its pledge to make sincere efforts at future six-party talks about its nuclear program were the Southâs top priorities for the 13th ministerial meeting. But the agreement may be overshadowed by Seoulâs under-the-table promise to provide Pyongyang with 1 million tons of rice this year. The promise of rice aid came less than an hour before the two Koreas closed the four-day meeting, according to government sources. The South also promised to provide 200,000 tons of fertilizer for the spring seeding season. Both sides were scheduled to hold a closing plenary session and conclude a joint statement Friday afternoon but it was delayed until yesterday morning as they struggled over the nuclear problem and other thorny issues. Seoulâs last-ditch promise of rice and fertilizer aid gave impetus to the belated agreement, the prospects of which had seemed gloomy, officials suggested. Critics have accused Seoul of giving in to the impoverished stateâs demands for economic assistance at almost every inter-Korean meeting. Pyongyang has long been suspected of using brinkmanship tactics, such as threatening a breakdown of inter-Korean talks, to win economic aid. Public frustration at such secret deals increased dramatically last year after the North resumed its nuclear activities in late 2002. Right-wing political parties and conservative civic groups in Seoul said economic assistance was only propping up the brutal communist regime of Kim Jong-il. In return, the North satisfied most of the Southâs demands during last-minute negotiations to work out a joint agreement. In addition to the nuclear problem and military talks, they reached agreement on several other critical issues. Neither side could risk thwarting the talks by refusing to make concessions, political observers said. Expectations were particularly high for the Cabinet-level talks as the North announced its agreement to a second round of six-nation negotiations just hours before the inter-Korean talks opened Tuesday. But the good atmosphere quickly turned sour after the North strongly criticized the South for siding with Washington to stifle inter-Korean economic cooperation. While Seoul delegates wanted to link the pace of joint business projects to the nuclear issue, their Northern counterparts demanded the ventures go forward without delay in spite of the nuclear dispute. South Korea strived for a promise from the North to take concrete steps to resolve the nuclear crisis in the upcoming six-party talks in Beijing. But the communist neighbor turned a deaf ear, only reiterating its demand for an inter-Korean coalition against the United States. Some experts believe Pyongyang has hardened its negotiation stance. Its unilateral announcement of the date for a next round of six-party talks was a clear message that it was not willing to discuss the issue during the inter-Korean meeting, they said. Seoulâs generous promise of food aid may have bridged the huge gulf between the two Koreas, at least temporarily. But differences are almost certain to resurface when they move to act on the agreement. Posted by: tipper 2004-02-08 |
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