Speeches and Transcripts
Achieving Peace on the Korean Peninsula
Alexander Vershbow
U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
Remarks at the International Symposium on
Establishment of a Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula
hosted by the
Uri Party’s Northeast Asia Peace Committee
and the Uri Party Foundation
Seoul - May 30, 2007
Uri Party Chairman Chung Sye-kyun, Representative Lee Hae-chan, Chairman of the Northeast Asia Peace Committee, and Representative Yoo Jay-kun, President of the Uri Party Foundation, fellow Ambassadors, members of the Uri Party and honored guests, it is my pleasure to meet with you today and kick off this important symposium. I always welcome the chance to exchange ideas with groups that are working to bring lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asian region. This is a goal that the United States shares with Koreans across the political spectrum, and with all of our international partners in the region. In this regard, I welcome the presence of Ambassadors from the other partner countries in the Six-Party Talks. Our close cooperation is vital.
First, let me make it very clear that the United States believes that peace can and should be achieved on the Korean Peninsula in the near future. We have no interest in prolonging the tragic division of the Korean nation. The key to peace is to achieve the goal of complete denuclearization that North Korea committed to in the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement. President Bush continues to actively support diplomatic efforts to engage with North Korea. He has stated on many occasions that, in tandem with denuclearization, the United States is prepared to normalize relations between the United States and the DPRK and to conclude a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula that would end the Korean War. But there is much work to do and limited time remaining in President Bush’s term in office. We look forward to making the most of this time and we are ready to roll up our sleeves and get back to work on resolving the issues that have kept peace from being fully realized.
The United States remains fully committed to the February 13 “Initial Actions” agreement, even though North Korea failed to meet the deadline for implementing its 60-day commitments. We are encouraged that the DPRK government continues to state that it plans to implement this important agreement. We remain hopeful that the technical issues involving the fund transfers from Banco Delta Asia (BDA) will be resolved soon and we can proceed quickly with the next steps. We fully expect that the DPRK will honor its commitment to invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to verify the shutdown and sealing of the Yongbyon nuclear facility as soon as the BDA funds are in hand.
We hope these steps can be carried out quickly, because we want to move promptly into the second phase, when even more important steps are to be taken on the path to complete denuclearization. (As you know, under the February 13 agreement, in phase two North Korea is required to disable all its nuclear facilities and issue a complete declaration of all its nuclear weapons and programs that are to be eliminated in accordance with the September 2005 Joint Statement.) We need to restore momentum in order to reaffirm to our publics and the rest of the world that the Six-Party Talks are still an effective means for achieving peace on the Peninsula and in the region.
The February 13 agreement was and remains important because it clearly identifies a list of actions that each side will undertake while reaffirming the ultimate goal, full denuclearization in accordance with the September 2005 Joint Statement. North Korea will receive substantial benefits if it fulfills its side of the bargain. The Six Parties will provide substantial energy and economic assistance, and the United States is prepared to move forward toward the establishment of normal relations with the DPRK. As steps toward this goal, we’re ready to begin the process of removing North Korea from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and from the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act. We would also like to see the Six-Party Talks evolve into a permanent multilateral forum for promoting cooperation on broader issues that affect Northeast Asia.
But progress on all these tracks depends on achieving the complete elimination of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and nuclear programs. We are not ready to settle for a partial solution. It is only with complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization that we can contemplate the full normalization of relations with the DPRK and the conclusion of a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. These are ambitious goals, but we believe that they can be achieved before the end of President Bush’s term in office if the North Koreans have the political will to do so. We stand ready to do our part if they do.
Let me add that the United States supports increased engagement between South and North Korea, to keep tensions low, to give North Koreans at the Kaesong Industrial Complex a taste of how the advanced South Korean free-market economy operates, and to help tragically separated families to meet after many years. Hence, we were pleased to see the test of trains across the North-South dividing line on May 17, as a further sign of reconciliation between the two Koreas. We hope that this does not end up as just a one-time event, but that citizens of North and South Korea will both be able to start riding these trains on a regular basis.
Looking ahead, we would hope to see engagement policies that include more people-to-people contact, such as increased exchange programs for students, teachers and others, so that North Koreans learn more about the outside world, and so that South Koreans learn more about life in the North.
North-South engagement and progress in the Six Party Talks are clearly interrelated. Thus, we are pleased when the South Korean government says that progress in inter-Korean relations and the Six-Party Talks will remain closely coordinated. I think this reflects a shared understanding that the key to lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is the denuclearization of North Korea. If this happens, it will be much easier for all of us to help improve the lives of the North Korean people, to normalize diplomatic relations, and to create a lasting peace on the Peninsula and peaceful cooperation among the nations of Northeast Asia. I look to my fellow Ambassadors, the ROK Government, and the participants in this symposium to continue our joint commitment to work together toward these historic goals.