The U.S. Democratic party platform

Preceding the U.S. Democratic National Convention 2000 in Los Angeles set for on August 14, a draft of the party platform which is supportive of the inter-Korean talks but reproves the N. Korea`s long-range missile development has been completed.

The draft of the party platform elucidates the Clinton Administration`s foreign policy of "forward engagement" which is more concrete than the earlier "engagement" policy. The draft will be delivered to the U.S. Democratic Convention and will be up for vote on the second day of the convention.

The current draft has been adopted by the DNC Platform Committee on August 29 in Cleveland.

Building on the forward engagement policy, the draft stresses that before an international problem could become a crisis, an early resolution should be achieved. However, when all other alternatives fail, the U.S. should always maintain a level of preparedness to utilize and mobilize the armed forces.

The draft also points out that the strengthening of the relationships with various Asian nations including S. Korea and Japan is in the interest of the U.S. as it would promote U.S. national security. It further pledged that the commitment to aid in the defense of S. Korea in cases of invasion would continue to be observed.

Concerning inter Korean relationship, the draft states that the U.S. has always promoted the warming of the inter-Korean relationship and upon that support the inter-Korean talks were made possible. It further mentions that it was the strength of the U.S. foreign policy which had successfully accomplished bringing the N. Korea`s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile test-launch programs to a grinding halt.

The draft further stresses the importance of strengthening national defense in order to prevent the proliferation of both the conventional and non-conventional arms which could possibly threaten the U.S. It adds that the U.S. would strive to block all developmental testing of the weapons of mass-destruction and to prevent the flow of material and ingredients for the weapons of mass-destruction from entering a non-friendly nation.

In connection with the global economic, the draft states that the U.S. will strive to establish an open market like the U.S. in other countries. The proposed draft spells a greater pressure for the opening of the Korean market.