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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Seoul rejects N. Korean demand for talks on peace treaty |
| 2010-01-13 |
| SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Tuesday dismissed a call by North Korea for talks on formally ending the Korean War with a peace treaty, saying such dialogue can only be held after North Korea returns to talks on ending its nuclear ambition and makes progress in its denuclearization. "We have expressed our position on a number of occasions that if the six-party talks are resumed and there is progress in the process of North Korea's denuclearization, the relevant countries can negotiate a peace treaty in a separate forum as stated in the Sept. 19 joint declaration," Kim Young-sun, a spokesman for Seoul's foreign ministry, said in a statement. The statement came one day after the North's foreign ministry said its return to the nuclear negotiations, also attended by South Korea, the U.S., Japan, China and Russia, hinges on the start of talks for a peace agreement that will replace the 1953 Korean armistice. Under a six-party accord signed on Sept. 19, 2005, North Korea agreed in principle to denuclearize in exchange for economic and political concessions from the international community, including the normalization of ties with the U.S. The remarks from the South Korean official followed a rejection of the North Korean demand by the U.S., which also said such dialogue on a peace treaty will take place only after the North returns to the six-nation nuclear talks and begins to denuclearize. "We urge North Korea to immediately return to the six-party talks and begin taking irreversible denuclearization measures," Kim said. The ministry spokesman also urged the North to begin seriously considering Seoul's proposal for a "grand bargain," noting the proposed deal could adequately address Pyongyang's security concerns. "The idea of the grand bargain we proposed is to seek a comprehensive solution of issues, including the elements of the Sept. 19 joint declaration, so we hope the six-party talks will be resumed for detailed discussions based on the proposed deal," he said. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 TOPIX/WORLD NEWS > NORTH KOREA: NO NUCLEAR TALKS WITHOUT PEACE TREATY WITH USA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-01-13 19:49 |