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South Korea Tuesday reiterated its call for a UN debate on North Korea's uranium-enrichment program, demanding an "acceptable" apology from Pyongyang for the shelling of a South Korean island and the sinking of a warship. However, analysts say setting any preconditions for further dialogue would not be conducive to promoting the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The issue of UN referral "will be discussed intensively" during US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg's visit to Seoul today, said South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan, according to AFP. Kim said that the discussion would focus on how to create a favorable atmosphere for the resumption of the stalled Six- Party talks. Kim added that South Korea will also raise the issue with Russia later this week when Moscow's representative to the Six-Party Talks, Alexei Boro-davkin, comes to Seoul. The North showed off an apparently functioning uranium-enrichment plant to visiting US scientists in November and said it is part of a peaceful energy program. Steinberg's trip to Seoul is mainly aimed at briefing South Korean officials on the results of the summit between Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama, the Korea Times reported. During their meeting in Washington last week, Hu and Obama agreed that China and the US will enhance cooperation to promote denuclearization of the peninsula and maintain the peace and stability of the region. Kim said at the press briefing that Seoul wants Pyongyang to apologize for two deadly incidents last year and pledge never to repeat such attacks, al-though the South has accepted an offer for defense talks from the North. "It is not appropriate for me to talk about what will be discussed at the upcoming working-level defense talks. But regarding the level (of apology) ... one clear principle is that whatever the wording would be, it should at least be acceptable to our people," Kim was quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency as saying. "North Korea's uranium-enrichment program is a concern to all related parties, including China, because it is at the core of Pyongyang's nuclear development technology," Lü Chao, director of the Korean Research Center at China's Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. He added that dialogue, especially the Six-Party Talks, currently remains the most appropriate way to resolve the nuclear issue and achieve the peninsula's denuclearization, and it will be counterproductive to set any preconditions for the resumption of negotiations. Agencies - Global Times |
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