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On the eve of his departure for the U.S., President Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday praised Korea¡¯s alliance with Washington as ¡°the basis of our security¡± which ¡°plays a central role for peace on the Korean Peninsula and security in Northeast Asia."
Roh was speaking at a Cheong Wa Dae brunch attended by Combined Forces Commander Gen. Leon J. LaPorte and other U.S. Forces in Korea brass. The president declared himself sanguine about the future of ties between Seoul and Washington. Opinions ¡°differ somewhat, negotiations are taking a while, and there are slightly dissatisfactory areas remaining, but to evaluate things in general, we agree on most things,¡± he said. ¡°While there are disagreements over a very limited number of things, I think those disagreements are being handled well."
He said since he became president, the Korea-U.S. alliance saw many changes, which could be interpreted as good or bad. But ¡°the military leaderships of both countries has handled the difficulties well while coping with the changes,¡± he said.
Roh was uncharacteristically introspective about his sometimes controversial initiatives. "I've carefully mulled over whether I've created something difficult,¡± he said. ¡°Many of the issues I've raised are still pending, while many of those already resolved were the ones brought up by the U.S."
A Cheong Wa Dae official provided the habitual gloss on the president¡¯s remarks, saying the ¡°issues¡± Roh had raised with Washington were a new role for Korea as a regional "balancer" and ¡°strategic flexibility¡± for the USFK, while those raised by the U.S. involved the Yongsan Garrison transfer, Iraq deployment and forces reductions.
Meanwhile, LaPorte said the military alliance between Korea and the U.S. had contributed to 50 years of peace on the Korean Peninsula and helped South Korea's dynamic economic development.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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