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President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday called for the development of the six-nation talks on North Korea¡¯s nuclear program into a Northeast Asian multilateral security system. The proposal comes before North Korea has even taken the first step toward dismantling its nuclear program under a Feb. 13 agreement reached by the six participating nations. Roh was speaking at a special conference of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.
"I believe that the six-party talks should be developed as a Northeast Asian peace and security regime based on their experience and know-how in trying to find a solution to the North Korean nuclear issue, even after that issue resolved," he said.
"This new consultative body will function as a permanent multilateral security regime that can control armaments and arbitrate conflicts in Northeast Asia, where the danger of an arms race is high," he said. "Furthermore, we can discuss a variety of issues, including economic, diplomatic, and environmental issues, as well as security, within the context of this consultative body."
Roh's statements also imply the possibility of talks led by top-level officials, instead of vice minister-level officials like the current talks. His idea envisions gradually upgrading the subject of the talks from only the North Korean nuclear issue to include the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War and the eventual building of a peace framework in Northeast Asia.
To this end, security experts maintain that the six-way discussions would have to be upgraded to be headed by foreign ministers and eventually by heads of state. Some have even mentioned the possibility of a summit between the two Koreas and the U.S., or between the Koreas, the U.S. and China, or between all six parties, depending upon the speed of North Korea's nuclear dismantlement. Roh's government has repeatedly suggested such a program as its key security strategy.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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