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Bush-Roh summit: Calm amid the
storm
Taking it at face value -
and for the time being, there is little reason to do
anything else - this week's summit between South Korean
President Roh Moo-hyun and his US counterpart, George W
Bush, in Washington was a step in the right direction: a
renewed relationship between two allies in the name of
Northeast Asian peace and stability.
"He is a
frank, plainspoken person," Roh said of his host. "So am
I, in a way. We had chemistry."
It is no secret
that relations between Seoul and Washington have been
strained for much of the past year, and pundits had
predicted that the election of Roh late last year was
not going to improve that situation. But Roh has so far
shown himself to be a canny leader in difficult times,
and the meeting with Bush appears to have gone smoothly.
To no one's surprise, North Korea was high on
the agenda. Analysts have seen the approaches of
peace-obsessed Seoul and belligerent Washington on this
highly sensitive issue as separated by a dangerous
policy chasm, but Roh's decision not to use his visit to
the White House to push his views too fiercely resulted
in a joint statement that should calm the fears of South
Korea's neighbors - including North Korea itself - about
a trigger-happy Uncle Sam.
The two leaders
issued a four-point joint statement after discussing the
nuclear threat, the bilateral alliance, economic and
other pending issues in their first summit talks at the
White House.
"President Roh and President Bush
reaffirmed they would not tolerate nuclear weapons in
North Korea," the statement said. "Both leaders
reiterated their strong commitment to work for the
complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of
North Korea's nuclear weapons program through peaceful
means."
The two warned against the North taking
"escalatory moves", saying it will only lead to its
greater isolation and a more desperate situation in the
North.
In another apparent warning to Pyongyang,
the statement said: "Increased threats to peace and
stability on the peninsula would require consideration
of 'further steps'." It added, however, that the two
leaders expressed confidence that a peaceful resolution
can be achieved.
The statement did not elaborate
on what the "further steps" might be, but America's
recent adventure in Iraq and the Bush doctrine of
preemptive war have made everyone on the peninsula
nervous. Ominously, Bush's national security advisor,
Condoleezza Rice, said prior to the talks: "The
president never takes his options off the table in any
circumstance."
The joint statement reaffirmed
that humanitarian assistance to the North will be
provided "without linkage to political developments".
Regarding the repositioning of the US troops
stationed in Korea, Bush reconfirmed the US commitment
to "a robust forward presence on the peninsula and in
the Asia-Pacific region".
The two leaders agreed
that the US Forces Korea (USFK) headquarters in Yongsan,
central Seoul, will be relocated "at an early date".
They also agreed to pursue the repositioning of
US bases north of the Han River, which refers to the US
2nd Infantry Division (ID), but they ensured the
relocation will be undertaken with careful consideration
of the political, economic and security situation on the
peninsula.
Koreans have said that withdrawing
the 2nd ID from the border would weaken deterrence
against the communist North.
The two leaders
also welcomed China's role in hosting a trilateral
meeting last month to resolve the nuclear issue, which
involved negotiators from the United States, the North
and China.
"The Republic of Korea and Japan are
essential for a successful and comprehensive settlement
[of the nuclear issue] and Russia and other nations can
also play a constructive role in multilateral
diplomacy," the statement said.
Expressing their
desire for stronger economic cooperation, Roh and Bush
reaffirmed their commitment to resolve bilateral trade
issues through consultation. They also agreed to explore
ways to further deepen the bilateral trade and economic
partnership.
The two also shared a view that
South Korea's economic fundamentals are strong,
expressing confidence that South Korea's trade,
investment and economic growth will continue.
Bush welcomed Roh's commitment for continued
reform of the Korean economy as well as his goal to make
Korea a trade, financial and investment hub in Northeast
Asia.
The two pledged cooperation for the
success of the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and agreed
to strengthen cooperation to advance the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Roh invited Bush to
Seoul and Bush responded he was looking forward to
another visit to South Korea.
(Asia Times
Online/Asia Pulse/Yonhap)
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