Seoul fears Clinton diplomacy could derail unification
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, October 31, 2000
TOKYO — Seoul is quietly concerned that U.S.reconciliation efforts with Pyongyang may disrupt the momentum toward peace between the two Koreas.
Asian diplomatic sources said North Korea has already suspended efforts to reconcile
with the South in favor of dealing with Washington. They said some officials in Seoul feel
this could only bolster the prospect of renewed tension on the peninsula.
The sources said the government in South Korea is worried that
President Bill Clinton will ram through a new policy toward Pyongyang during
last weeks of his presidency. The sources said Clinton appears to have
assessed that reconciliation with North Korea could crown his
administration's foreign policy. The president is said to be preparing a
trip to Pyongyang on Nov. 11.
On Monday, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung urged his government to be patient. He assured ministers that Washington will not abandon Seoul.
"South Korea, the United States and Japan have closely coordinated their
North Korea policy, and such cooperation will continue in the future as
well," Kim said. "We have encouraged the United States to move toward
mending frozen ties with North Korea and help the reclusive communist
country emerge from its isolationist shell."
North Korea has also been preoccupied with improving relations with
Japan. On Monday in Beijing, the two countries completed the first day of
talks to normalize relations.