President Kim proposes 4-party talks to Clinton

President Kim Dae-Jung on Thursday (Korean Standard Time) proposed a four-party meeting involving the two Koreas and the United States and China to discuss ways of easing tension and building a peaceful system on the Korean Peninsula.

He made the overture during a summit with U.S. President Bill Clinton at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York.

Kim asserted that South and North Korea must be the principal parties involved in the peace treaty, noting that the conclusion of the treaty should be promoted in a 2 plus 2 formula under which the two Koreas would first reach an agreement and the U.S. and China would then support it.

Clinton, expressing sympathy with Kim`s views, suggested that the peace treaty be first promoted on the basis of the two Koreas` agreement.

The two leaders also agreed to work together consistently in the course of carrying out their North Korea policies. In particular, Clinton expressed an intention of lending full support to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, which has progressed since the South-North summit in June in Pyongyang.

In particular, the two Presidents shared the view that the sudden cancellation of a visit to the U.S. by Kim Yong-Nam, chairman of the Presidium of North Korea¡¯s Supreme People¡¯s Assembly, should not adversely affect inter-Korean relations or North-U.S. ties, and agreed to do their utmost to address the aftermath of the incident at an early date.

During the summit, President Kim expressed his hope that the Status of Forces Agreement, the law governing the status of American servicemen in Korea, would be revised in the near future through a mutual agreement between Seoul and Washington.

Earlier in the day, President Kim held a summit with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. The two shared the view that the incident involving Chairman Kim Yong-Nam was regrettable and should not affect South-North relations.

Kim expressed his thanks to Jiang for China`s cooperation in the realization of the South-North summit and asked for its sustained support.

Jiang told Kim that he was watching the progress in inter-Korean relations with delight and added that it was commendable for South and North Korea to make such great efforts.

Meanwhile, President Kim, in his keynote speech at the Millennium Summit, appealed to world leaders to provide support to the inter-Korean peace process.

He noted that the miracles of the inter-Korean summit and the separated family reunion were the result of support and encouragement from the United Nations and world leaders, not to mention the efforts of the two Koreas themselves.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, congratulating President Kim on the outcome of the South-North summit during the opening ceremony, said that he is still concerned about South-North reconciliation and cooperation.