|
President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush are likely to meet for a summit in Washington in September, the chief presidential secretary for security policy Song Min-soon said Friday. Given the political circumstances of the two countries, it is likely to be the last meaningful meeting between the two presidents.
The summit, the two presidents¡¯ sixth, would come 10 months after their last meeting in Gyeongju in November. Given the political circumstances of the two countries, it is likely to be the last meaningful meeting between the two presidents. Roh¡¯s tenure is expiring, and Bush is also likely to be a lame duck after mid-term elections in November. That is why observers expect the two will seek to produce substantial results.
The summit is expected to have a significant impact on Northeast Asia. September sees the first anniversary of a statement of principles agreed in six-nation talks in Beijing where North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear program for security guarantees and aid. It also sees a third round of free trade negotiations between the two countries in Seattle. The allies hope to conclude working level negotiations by the end of this year. The next Security Consultative Meeting a month later aims to reach concrete agreement on a timetable for transferring wartime operational control of troops from the U.S. to Korea. September also sees the election of a new Japanese prime minister.
The first order of business will be North Korea¡¯s missile and nuclear programs. Roh is likely to seek a compromise between the North and the U.S. on these issues. Pyongyang is demanding direct negotiations with the U.S., which refuses saying the issue must be resolved in the framework of the six-way talks. Another thorny issue will be financial sanctions the U.S. imposed over the North¡¯s alleged counterfeiting of U.S. dollars. Given pressure from mid-term election in the U.S., Washington is unlikely to soften its line, and the two heads of state may find themselves merely confirming their differences of opinion and reiterating calls for the situation to be resolved by peaceful means in their public announcements.
The summit could reconfirm a rough agreement between the two allies to transfer wartime operational control to Korea¡¯s armed forces. But a sensitive point is Seoul¡¯s share in the upkeep for the U.S. Forces Korea. The U.S. wants Seoul to shoulder more of the burden, but Seoul is not keen.
On the issue of a free trade agreement, Roh may try to convince his U.S. counterpart to include goods produced in the joint-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, a request the U.S. is unhappy about.
Working-level consultations between the two countries ahead of the summit are expected to be a tightrope walk since the U.S. has a basket of demands including that Seoul should stop basing vehicle tax on engine displacement. Korea, for its part, needs U.S. help in joining the U.S. visa-waiver program, the transfer of strategic technology, and support for Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon¡¯s candidacy as UN secretary-general.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
