L.A. Times: N. Korea -U.S. ties gradual

According to a Los Angeles Times report Oct. 31, while the improvement of ties between the United States and North Korea would be through three graduated stages, each stage contains certain explosive issues requiring care.

The first phase, according to the Times, would be the official agreement at the North-U.S. Summit with U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea made possible by the meeting between the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and contingent on the progress of the continuing missile talks.

The newspaper also stressed that Clinton and the North's leader needed to agree on the measures to verify adherence to the agreements and hoped for the establishment of a communication facility in Pyongyang.

The second phase was considered to be the transitional peace process of the three nations, South Korea, the United States and Japan, toward North Korea and pointed out that each of the three states had minor differences in the method.

In the case of Japan, it has been requesting the transfer of Japanese nationals kidnapped to North Korea, while the United States seeks for the North to stop all activities that support or provide a safe haven for the international terrorists who target the allied nations of the United States.

The Times considered the third phase to be the replacement of the armistice with the peace treaty to wipe the old antagonism off the slate.

Currently, although South Korea, the United States and Japan have plans to establish trust through various means including economic assistance, North Korea has surprised the world through its agreement to hold a military-leader meeting with South Korea. As such, the newspaper predicted that such developments would be followed shortly by regular talks, establishment of a military hot line, interchange of visits by military officials and participation in joint military exercises.