N. Korea in talks over sinking
Source: Agencies |
July 13, 2010, Tuesday
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MILITARY officers from North Korea and the American-led United Nations Command will hold rare talks today on the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship, the command said, their first meeting since the incident dramatically raised tensions on the Korean peninsula.
An international investigation concluded in May that North Korea torpedoed the vessel, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang flatly denies it was responsible and has warned that any punishment would trigger war.
The UN Command, which oversees an armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953, separately investigated the March 26 sinking to find out if it had violated the truce.
Details of that investigation have not been made available.
Late last month, the command proposed military talks with North Korea to review its findings and initiate dialogue.
North Korea first rejected the offer, criticizing the United States for allegedly trying to meddle in inter-Korean affairs under the name of the UN.
But North Korea changed its position last week and proposed working-level talks at the Korean border village of Panmunjom to prepare for higher-level talks on the sinking.
The UN Command said yesterday that the sides will meet at 0100GMT.
It wasn't clear how the talks would proceed. But South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported yesterday that North Korea is expected to reiterate its accusation that South Korea and the US faked evidence to link it to the sinking, which occurred near the tense inter-Korean sea border. The UN command, for its part, will likely demand Pyongyang refrain from any provocations and punish those responsible for the sinking, Yonhap said. The report did not cite any sources.
North Korea said on Friday that it decided to agree to the military talks because South Korea had rebuffed its calls for direct inter-Korean discussions on the issue.
North Korea and the UN Command launched general-level talks in 1998 as a measure to lessen tension between the sides. Today's meeting would be the 17th of its kind.
The US stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean War, which ended in an armistice that has never been replaced with a permanent peace treaty.
The UN Security Council on Friday approved a statement that condemned the sinking but stopped short of directly blaming North Korea.
The next day, North Korea said it would make efforts to resume stalled disarmament talks on its nuclear program and conclude a peace treaty that could formally end the Korean War, a sign that the regime was satisfied with the UN Security Council's less stringent statement.
The signing of a peace treaty is a coveted goal for North Korea, which has argued it was forced to develop atomic weapons to cope with US nuclear threats.
The US has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking North Korea.
An international investigation concluded in May that North Korea torpedoed the vessel, killing 46 sailors. Pyongyang flatly denies it was responsible and has warned that any punishment would trigger war.
The UN Command, which oversees an armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953, separately investigated the March 26 sinking to find out if it had violated the truce.
Details of that investigation have not been made available.
Late last month, the command proposed military talks with North Korea to review its findings and initiate dialogue.
North Korea first rejected the offer, criticizing the United States for allegedly trying to meddle in inter-Korean affairs under the name of the UN.
But North Korea changed its position last week and proposed working-level talks at the Korean border village of Panmunjom to prepare for higher-level talks on the sinking.
The UN Command said yesterday that the sides will meet at 0100GMT.
It wasn't clear how the talks would proceed. But South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported yesterday that North Korea is expected to reiterate its accusation that South Korea and the US faked evidence to link it to the sinking, which occurred near the tense inter-Korean sea border. The UN command, for its part, will likely demand Pyongyang refrain from any provocations and punish those responsible for the sinking, Yonhap said. The report did not cite any sources.
North Korea said on Friday that it decided to agree to the military talks because South Korea had rebuffed its calls for direct inter-Korean discussions on the issue.
North Korea and the UN Command launched general-level talks in 1998 as a measure to lessen tension between the sides. Today's meeting would be the 17th of its kind.
The US stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean War, which ended in an armistice that has never been replaced with a permanent peace treaty.
The UN Security Council on Friday approved a statement that condemned the sinking but stopped short of directly blaming North Korea.
The next day, North Korea said it would make efforts to resume stalled disarmament talks on its nuclear program and conclude a peace treaty that could formally end the Korean War, a sign that the regime was satisfied with the UN Security Council's less stringent statement.
The signing of a peace treaty is a coveted goal for North Korea, which has argued it was forced to develop atomic weapons to cope with US nuclear threats.
The US has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking North Korea.
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