*EPF406 07/01/2004
Transcript: Powell Says North Korea Must Acknowledge All Nuclear Programs
(U.S. must see "deeds" before proceeding in negotiations) (3510)
The United States seeks a peaceful, diplomatic solution in negotiations on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said at a July 1 press conference following a series of meetings among foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with counterparts in the United States and the European Union. The meetings were held after the conclusion of the annual meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers.
"But the solution has to begin with North Korea ... being ready to acknowledge all of its nuclear programs that are of concern, and start down a road where there will be a cessation of all activity on those programs," Powell stressed.
Commenting on the June 26 conclusion of a third round of discussions by the six-party forum involving the United States, Japan, China, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia, Powell said the United States had shown some flexibility in its position at the talks. But, he said, "[A]s we follow the principle of word for word and deed for deed, we have to see deeds before we are prepared to put something on the table."
"The United States does not want to find ourselves -- not only the United States, but other parties -- in a position where some years later, as we found from the 1994 agreement, there was one program people knew about but not another one," he said. "I think all programs reasonably are expected to be presented."
Powell reiterated that the United States is prepared to enter into a security agreement with the other parties to the talks to "reassure" North Korea and "deal with their concerns about the United States', as they say, 'hostile intent'." He also noted that the United States and other parties had offered to provide economic and energy assistance to North Korea.
"We don't think what has been asked for would be very difficult to achieve," Powell said. "Identify all components, declare them, allow some verification to make sure that everybody is on a common understanding."
"[U]nless there is an acknowledgement of that opening position on the part of the North Koreans," he said, "then we are not on a path to the denuclearization of the peninsula." The secretary left open the possibility of additional discussions with North Korean officials within the framework of the ASEAN meetings, which will continue on July 2.
During the press conference, Powell also expressed concern at the continued detention of Burmese democratic opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but he said the situation in that country would be discussed in greater depth at additional meetings on July 2.
When asked about the planned reunion between Charles Jenkins, a former U.S. Army sergeant who defected to North Korea, and his wife, a Japanese citizen who was abducted by North Korea, Powell said that the Japanese are "approaching it as a humanitarian issue and we understand and accept that."
He added, however, that "Sergeant Jenkins, of course, is a deserter from the United States Army, and those charges remain outstanding on him."
The member states of ASEAN include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Following is the State Department transcript of the press conference:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
Jakarta, Indonesia
For Immediate Release
July 2, 2004
2004/
REMARKS
REMARKS TO THE PRESS BY SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN L. POWELL
AND ASEAN POST MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE MINISTERS
July 1, 2004
Jakarta Conference Center
Jakarta, Indonesia
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Dear colleagues, foreign ministers of ASEAN and its dialogue partners, colleagues from the mass media: good evening. Today, we, the foreign ministers of ASEAN and our dialogue partners, have just concluded ASEAN+3 foreign ministers' meeting, followed by a series of ASEAN post minister conferences, namely ASEAN PMC+1, with Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, European Union, United States of America, and the ASEAN PMC 10+10: a rather complicated mathematical formula.
ASEAN and its dialogue partners reaffirm their commitment to enhance the political, economic and social cultural cooperation. We believe that, through the close cooperation, mutual understanding will flourish and contribute to strengthen concerted efforts in obtaining a prosperous ASEAN community and its dialogue partners.
Now, allow me to highlight the outcomes of those particular...today's particular meetings. At the ASEAN+3 foreign ministers' meeting we discussed among others, the progress of our cooperation, including implementations of the decisions of the last ASEAN plus three summit in Bali, in October 2003, and of recommendations made by the East Asia Study Group. We also had the productive discussions on the best...on the best to proceed future directions of the ASEAN+3 cooperation. At the ASEAN PMC+1 meetings with Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Russia, European Union and the United States, we also discussed the dialogue process, as well as their future directions.
During the discussions, ASEAN and the dialogue partners agreed to strengthen cooperation, including to support ASEAN's efforts in narrowing the development gap among its members and in implementing the Vientiane action program.
As you are well aware, the PAP will be adopted by the ASEAN leaders at their 10th summit in Vientiane next November. Views were also expressed in support of ASEAN, in its aim to establish an ASEAN community made up of three pillars: namely, the ASEAN economic community, the ASEAN security community and the ASEAN socio-cultural community.
On the PMC 10+10 we just concluded this evening, the ministers expressed appreciation of ASEAN's explanations of the ASEAN community, which has been decided by the ASEAN leaders during the ninth summit, known as the Bali Concord II. We were heartened to note that our dialogue partners expressed their support for our undertakings with regard to the establishments of the community. It is also worth mentioning that we also had a discussion on the outcomes of the G-8 summit that was held in Georgia, United States. In this regard the meeting was informed of the various outcomes of the G-8 Summit in relations inter alia to health issues, air transport, security and peacekeeping.
We also exchanged views on current international issues including development in Iraq, and the situations in the Middle East, as well as Africa. Those were some highlights of the meetings today. I beg the indulgence of my colleagues and also foreign media: allow me to speak in Bahasa Indonesian for my own countrymen.
(speaks in Indonesian)
Excellencies and dear colleagues, we are greatly honored to have all foreign ministers of ASEAN along with 10 ministers of our dialogue partners present here. They will be happy to answer questions you may want to ask them on various topics taken up at the meeting. Now, I'll be glad to take the first questions, if any.
QUESTION: To Secretary Powell and Mr. Patten and Mr. Solana, can you tell us what you said to ASEAN and Myanmar or what you will say tomorrow about the political situation in that country? And to Minister Li and Minister Singh, can you tell us what your governments are doing to help effect positive political change in Myanmar?
SECRETARY POWELL: Earlier, I've had discussions with some of my colleagues here, and in an earlier meeting on the situation in Burma, and tomorrow when we are all assembled I will have more to say about the situation. As you know, we are concerned at the democratic process in Burma, and we are specifically concerned about the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi has not been allowed to participate in that democratic process and remains in house arrest. And so, we'll be discussing that in greater detail tomorrow.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, COMMISSIONER PATTEN: I noted delicately at a meeting, a good meeting we had this afternoon among friends, that we'd recently seen elections in Cambodia and the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia--enormously impressive turnout in the elections in Indonesia. It was a pity we hadn't seen the sort of political democratic progress in other places that we'd seen in those countries.
I think that we've read in the past ASEAN's aspirations for political change in Burma-Myanmar, which we wholly share. We'd like to see the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, and we'd like to see the National League for Democracy fully involved in the national convention. We'd like to see a process of national reconciliation. And we worry for the prospects of the people in Burma-Myanmar. And we worry for the prospects of regional stability, so long as those things don't happen. So, not in a spirit of confrontation, but speaking to friends, speaking with friends, we've once again made our position clear, and I don't think our objective is very different from that of our friends and colleagues in ASEAN and beyond in Asia, though I do think we disagree about the best tactics for achieving those objectives.
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Minister Li of China.
EUROPEAN UNION HIGH REPRESENTATIVE SOLANA: Let me say further that I agree completely with what Chris Patten has said. We are going through the utmost in that the time that is still left to before Hanoi to be able get to the summit, but we have to work very hard.
CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER LI ZHAOXING: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The question of Myanmar, let me briefly say that my government with the principle support, the opinions of the ASEAN countries, including those of Myanmar. Thank you.
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Second, yes. Identify yourself please.
QUESTION: Novosti Agency Russia. A question to Secretary Powell: how do you estimate the effectiveness of anti-terrorist centers recently opened in many ASEAN countries? And a question to Minister Kawaguchi: what are the prospects for the East Asian community after today's ASEAN+3 meeting? Thank you.
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Mr. Powell, please.
SECRETARY POWELL: I'm sorry, were you referring to the anti-terrorism center that's been opened?
QUESTION: Yes, anti-terrorist centers opened here in Malaysia...here in Indonesia, in Singapore, in Thailand: several anti-terrorist centers opened in ASEAN countries.
SECRETARY POWELL: We are very pleased at the opening of these centers. It shows the international community coming together to deal with a common threat, a threat that affects all civilized nations: and that is the threat of terrorism. No nation is immune from it, we have seen it in Bali, we have seen it in New York, we have seen it in Saudi Arabia, we have seen it in Turkey, we have seen it all over the world and it is important that we do everything to coordinate our efforts and to enhance our capability to deal with this challenge and that we train our people to deal with these challenges. Thank you.
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Ms. Kawaguchi.
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KAWAGUCHI: Yes, we talked about ASEAN, East Asia community today. And I think this idea... this thinking about East Asia community comes from globalization of our economy, globalization of our threat and security needs, etcetera. And we have been holding these ASEAN+3 meetings in the past, within that context and also within ASEAN+10 and in other contexts, we have been implementing functional cooperation: cooperation in trade, in investment, in finance, in human trafficking, etcetera. And we need to strengthen this functional cooperation and at the same time this functional cooperation is an important element of East Asia community.
Also, at the same time, we feel that ASEAN community, with its efforts to strengthen its community characteristics, is an important core, important element of this East Asia community. There are many things that we need to sort out about East Asia community. We have to, for instance, think about relationships between East Asia community and ASEAN+3 relationship with other dialogue partners and with other countries. So, I think that we will continue to work on this. Japan came up with issue papers today, and we would like to contribute in this regard to sort out some of the issues which need to be organized and sort out before, but East Asia community, I think, is a future shared goal of our countries. Thank you.
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Yes. Lady behind.
QUESTION: Good evening. I would like to ask my question to Secretary Powell. Mr. Secretary, I want to ask your opinion about how ASEAN has again softened its approach towards the Myanmar issue. Please, thank you.
SECRETARY POWELL: I think ASEAN is as concerned with the situation of Burma-Myanmar as we are. We have taken different approaches to the problem. I think the United States has been more outspoken and forthcoming with respect to the need for change and the need to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to participate in the political democratic process within the country, but I will leave it up to my ASEAN colleagues who have been discussing this during the course of their meetings here to comment on their position, and what else they would care to say about their plans to modify, or in any way elaborate, on their position. But, I think I just speak for myself here. Thank you.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Secretary Powell. I wanted to ask you about the possibility of a chat with the North Korean Foreign Minister I understand is expected here. Are you looking forward to it, are you ready to meet with him, will you do more than have coffee for 15 minutes as you did two years ago? Do you think that it might perhaps build on the discussions in Beijing last week? And also, Mr. Jenkins, the former U.S. Army officer who defected to North Korea, apparently will be coming to Indonesia for a reunion with his Japanese wife. Does the United States have any objection to his coming here? Thank you.
SECRETARY POWELL: My understanding is that the North Korean Foreign Minister will be here tomorrow, he'll be participating in the discussions of the whole group, and it remains to be seen what other discussions he and I may or may not be participating in tomorrow.
With respect to Sergeant Jenkins, I heard earlier this evening that such arrangements are being made, and this is a matter between the Japanese government, the Indonesian government and the DPRK.
QUESTION: Secretary Powell...
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Please identify yourself.
QUESTIONER: Yes, Glenn Kessler with the Washington Post. The United States last week at the six-party talks presented a more detailed proposal on resolving the crisis with -- over North Korea's nuclear program, yet it seems like the bottom line has not changed the United States that before ... Sorry, it's been a long day, as you well know ... that the bottom line for the United States seems to be that before, before that ... God, I'm sorry. (laughter) Yeah.
SECRETARY POWELL: Have a seat. I'll take care of it.
(laughter)
QUESTION: But what I wanted to get at was that it seems like that the United States wants the North Koreans to admit all their programs, have all ... everything that they put out verified by U.S. intelligence before the United States is willing to make any offers of direct aid, provide any even provisional security assurances. The North Koreans last week suggested that if the United States were to make some sort of gesture of aid directly before that process began, that they would lessen some of their demands. I wonder, is there any flexibility in the United States position on that, or is that the firm bottom line that you maintain?
SECRETARY POWELL: The firm bottom line for all six parties, and they have all said this, including the DPRK, is that we want a denuclearized Korean peninsula. It's in the best interest of the world, the region, the peninsula and North Korea. We showed flexibility in our position last week because we wanted our colleagues in the six-party talks to recognize the United States was seeking a peaceful, diplomatic solution. But the solution has to begin with North Korea acknowledging and being ready to acknowledge all of its nuclear programs that are of concern, and start down a road where there will be a cessation of all activity on those programs, leading ultimately in some subsequent phase to dismantle and removal of all parts of the program. This is how you denuclearize the peninsula. And unless there is an acknowledgement of that opening position on the part of the North Koreans, then we are not on a path to the denuclearization of the peninsula.
The United States does not want to find ourselves -- not only the United States, but other parties -- in a position where, some years later, as we found from the 1994 agreement, there was one program people knew about but not another one. So, I think all programs reasonably are expected to be presented. The United States has made it clear that, as we start down this road in the early phases of this plan that we put forward, as we follow the principle of word for word and deed for deed, we have to see deeds before we are prepared to put something on the table. We don't think this will take long. We don't think what has been asked for would be very difficult to achieve: identify all components, declare them, allow some verification to make sure that everybody is on a common understanding.
Other members of the six-party discussions have said that they are willing to provide some immediate assistance to North Korea, in terms of energy assistance and perhaps other assistance. The United States has made it clear to the DPRK for the past several years that we want to help the DPRK deal with its problems -- with the problems that its people have and that it has with its economy, but only when it is absolutely clear that the DPRK has taken irreversible steps that will move us in the right direction toward denuclearization.
We are prepared to enter into a security agreement with our other partners, that I think the DPRK should find reassuring, and deal with their concerns about the United States', as they say, "hostile intent." The President's made it clear that we do not seek to invade North Korea, have no hostile intent toward North Korea, and we are anxious to see the North Koreans move in this direction with us -- six nations moving together to reassure one another that the peninsula, the region and the world will be a safer place because there are no nuclear weapons or the capability to produce nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula.
So, I think that the proposal we presented last week is a good one. I hope it will be studied very carefully by all parties, but especially the DPRK. They put forward some ideas, and I will assure them in the larger meeting tomorrow, and we have reassured them, that we will study their proposals carefully. But, we don't want to get in a position that we found ourselves in previously where we thought a program had been capped and it hadn't been capped.
Thank you.
QUESTION: I'm Renee Karalarang from Sinar Harapan daily. I have the same question for both Secretary Powell and Minister Kawaguchi. I would like to have your comments about the Indonesian role in facilitating the reunion of Sergeant Jenkins' family somewhere in Indonesia. I'd like to have your comment on Indonesia's role to facilitate the reunion. Thank you.
SECRETARY POWELL: I couldn't understand the question, sir ... could you do it slowly, please?
QUESTION: Your comment on Indonesia's role in facilitating the reunion of Sergeant Jenkins' family....
SECRETARY POWELL: Indonesia's role?
(crosstalk)
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KAWAGUCHI: I would like to...
SECRETARY POWELL: Want to take it then?
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KAWAGUCHI: If that's OK. Shall I ...
SECRETARY POWELL: I'll let Yoriko ... Madame Kawaguchi ... start, and then I'll pick it up.
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER KAWAGUCHI: This is a humanitarian issue for Mrs. Tomesuga. She was abducted by the DPRK and is back in Japan, and she is to see her husband and their two daughters. And I think the best environment that we could give her, and give them -- in order for them to make a move ahead, I think we should provide them with a very quiet environment. A quiet environment is something that they need the most. And we certainly appreciate the understanding and assistance that the government of Indonesia is providing us with, but the best is we could give them a quiet environment to do this reunion. Thank you.
SECRETARY POWELL: As the minister said, they are approaching it as a humanitarian issue and we understand and accept that. Sergeant Jenkins, of course, is a deserter from the United States Army, and those charges remain outstanding on him. Thank you.
INDONESIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WIRAYUDA: Thank you. All my colleagues, ministers and friends from the mass media, thank you very much for your participation in this press conference, see you again tomorrow.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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