U.S. opens drive to defuse Korea tension

Press, 3 July 1979, Page 8

U.S. opens drive to defuse Korea tension

NZPA-Reuter Seoul President Carter and the South Korean President (Mr Park Chung Hee) have begun an important new diplomatic initiative to reduce tensions on the volatile Korean peninsula and thus bring increased stability to a region where all three superpowers have vital interests.

The American Secretay of State (Mr Cyrus Vance) told reporters that the United S'ates had informed the Soviet Union and China, both of which share a common border with North Korea, of the initiative.

A joint communique issued by the two Presidents at the end of a two-day State visit by Mr Carter called for a joint meeting among senior officials of the United States and North and South Korea “to seek means to promote dialogue and reduce tensions in the area.” Mr Vance said that while North Korea had been in-i formed of the forthcoming move through a third country which he declined to •name, he had no indication: that North Korea would take I up the invitation. “I do not know what the; position of North Korea will l be to the proposal," he said. “I hope that they will treat: it in a serious fashion and|

there are some indications that they might.” “It will be a long, hard road,” he said. The two Koreas earlier this year tried to restart reunification talks but the move never got off the ground after neither side found it possible to accept the delegation of the other. However, Mr Vance said he hoped that Pyongyang would accept the idea of tripartite talks because "the fact that both of us have made this proposal in a joint fashion underscores the seriousness of the proposal and the importance we attach to it.”

He said that he and the South Korean Foreign Minister (Mr Park Tong Jin) would communicate with the North Korean Foreign Minister (Mr Ho Dam) through the intermediary country. “In that communication we will be making more specific proposals . . which of course are private diplomatic communications.” he said.

In the communique President Carter reiterated. “The firm commitment of the United States to render prompt and effective assistance to repel armed attack against the Republic of Korea.”

It said he affirmed that the American nuclear um-

brella provided additional security for the area. Mr Carter told President Park that the United States would maintain a militarypresence in South Korea despite the fact that the United States plans to withdraw its 33,000 Army troops there. The President has since frozen the decision after intelligence reports indicated that the North Korea has many more men, and particularly tanks, than the Pentagon previously thought. Further studies were ordered. A senior American official travelling with the President told reporters that Mr Carter would make a decision within weeks on whether to lift the freeze or cancel the withdrawal plans altogether. The official said that the United States wanted South Korea to build up its ground forces — at present 520,000i men strong — while the communique said that the United States would continue to sell weapons and defence technology to South Korea to deter aggression and help build up the republic’s defence industries. Mr Vance said that the President’s decision on whether to go ahead with the withdrawal plan was not linked to the joint call for tripartite talks.