washington Post
3/3/2007
South Korea on Friday added pressure on North Korea to comply with an international disarmament agreement, refusing the impoverished nation’s demand to restore full aid shipments until after its main nuclear reactor is shut down.
At the first high-level talks between the two Koreas since the North’s underground nuclear test in October, the communist nation “agreed to make joint efforts for a smooth implementation” of its pledge last month to take initial steps toward dismantling its atomic program, according to a final statement.
The North and South also agreed to resume family reunions of relatives split by their border and planned test runs of railway lines between the countries.
North Korea and the International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed on March 13 as the starting date for a two-day visit by the agency’s chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, U.N. officials said Friday. The officials asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal specifics of the trip, which is expected to help alleviate some misgivings that the unpredictable regime might renege on its agreement to shut down its nuclear facilities.
This week’s meetings in Pyongyang were part of the historic reconciliation launched between the Koreas since their leaders met in their first and only summit in 2000. The countries remain technically at war because the cease-fire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War has never been replaced by a peace treaty.
But attempts to bring the countries together have been complicated since 2002, when Washington accused North Korea of secret uranium enrichment efforts that the Bush administration said violated an earlier disarmament deal.
The situation deteriorated further last July when North Korea test-launched a series of missiles, prompting South Korea, one of the North’s main sources of aid such as rice and fertilizer, to put the shipments on hold.
Relations worsened after North Korea’s Oct. 9 nuclear test. But a breakthrough came last month after a revival of six-nation nuclear negotiations — including China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas — in which the North pledged to make moves toward abandoning its nuclear program.
Two Koreas agree on fertilizer aid, reunions
Joong Ang Daily
Ser Myo-ja
3/3/2007
A May reunion of some family members separated since the Korean War and the resumption of fertilizer aid to North Korea are among the agreements the two Koreas announced yesterday in Pyongyang.
Video conference calls will take place March 27 to 29, and the face-to-face reunions will happen in early May at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea, according to Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and his North Korean counterpart, Kwon Ho-ung.
The two released a joint statement yesterday wrapping up their four-day meeting. The reunions will be the 15th held; the last round took place in June of last year.
In the talks, which had been stalled since North Korea tested a missile in July, the two Koreas also agreed to quickly resume a project to build a permanent reunion center. Working-level Red Cross officials from both countries will meet Friday at Mount Kumgang to discuss it.
More Red Cross talks are scheduled April 10 to 12 at the same venue to address issues associated with “those who have gone missing since the Korean War.” The term refers to the South Korean war prisoners and kidnap victims still alive in the North.
Although there was no specific mention of rice and fertilizer aid in the statement, Mr. Lee said Seoul will provide them as it has done in the past. Speaking to journalists after wrapping up the talks, Mr. Lee said, “The North will fax its request for fertilizer aid, and the South will provide it accordingly.” He added that “spring is coming fast, so we probably need to hurry.” Seoul has been providing an average of 150,000 tons of fertilizer, used in spring farming, per year. It will provide 300,000 tons this time.
According to the pool report from North Korea, Mr. Lee also said “the matter about rice will be discussed at the economic talks in April and an official decision will be made there.”
The two ministers agreed to expand economic cooperation ― including finalizing of 400,000 tons of rice aid ― during economic talks April 18 to 21 in Pyongyang.
“Since we agreed to meet in Pyongyang in April for economic talks, we will be able to discuss rice aid, taking into account how far the North implemented the Feb. 13 nuclear agreement,” a South Korean official said on the condition of anonymity.
He was referring to the agreement reached last month at the six-nation nuclear talks, in which Pyongyang promised to shut down its main nuclear facility within 60 days in return for aid and economic assistance from other countries.
The two Koreas also agreed to conduct test-runs of inter-Korean railroads before the end of June, as soon as both sides’ military arms are comfortable with the safety measures in place. On March 14 and 15, economic committee representatives will meet in Kaesong to address the plan. The military guarantee is the key for the trains to cross the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas.
Mr. Lee and Mr. Kwon agreed the next round of ministerial meetings will take place in Seoul for four days starting May 29.
