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N. Korea threatens Japan over military exercises with U.S.

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, August 16, 2000

TOKYO -- North Korea has threatened to shelve plans for diplomatic talks with Tokyo unless Japan cancels military exercises with the United States.

Japan and the United States plan to hold joint maneuvers in November. The exercise will comprise 20,000 soldiers from both countries and include air, sea and ground maneuvers.

The Pyongyang-based Korean Central News Agency also warned that the exercise could affect reconciliation talks between North Korea and the United States. Japan and North Korea -- who last met in April -- have scheduled another session for next week.

"There is no guarantee that the joint military exercise will not have a negative influence on the talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States as well as the DPRK-Japan talks," the official Pyongyang news agency said.

Last year, Japan and the United States agreed to cooperate in east Asian defense. This meant that Tokyo would provide logistical support to the U.S. military.

"This cannot but arouse high vigilance of the people and the people's army of Korea as it is a very dangerous development which may vitiate the hard-won atmosphere of detente and create tensions on the Korean peninsula." North Korea. said. "Negotiations and confrontation are incompatible. The DPRK is prepared for both negotiations and confrontation."

In a related development, South Korea is urging the United States to remove Pyongyang from the State Department list of terrorist sponsors. Yang Sung Chul, Seoul's ambassador to the United States, told the Tokyo-based Kyodo news agency that U.S. accusations that Pyongyang supports terrorism will torpedo reconciliation efforts between North Korea and Japan as well as Washington.

Yang said South Korea has been trying to improve relations with North Korea by first discussing issues other than terrorism. North Korea admits missile sales.

On Monday, the United States pledged to upgrade ties with North Korea if North Korea ends its support of terrorism.

''We hope they will be prepared to take the necessary steps to allow us to then remove them from the list,'' State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said. ''We are prepared to improve relations with Pyongyang as North Korea addresses the areas of concern that we've had."

Reeker said that the U.S. and North Korea plan another round of talks on terrorism but no date has yet been set.

On Tuesday, South Koreans met with about 100 North Koreans at a convention centre in Seoul in an effort to reunite families after 50 years of separation.

The orderly meeting quickly became chaotic after the relatives spotted each other and fell on top of each other weeping and screaming.

Wednesday, August 16, 2000

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