Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Thursday 6 sepTember 2018

S. Korean envoys meet Kim to advance nuclear diplomacy

By KIM TONG-HYUNG on its website saying that
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) an end-of-war declaration
— A South Korean delega- would be a necessary trust-
tion met with North Korean building step between the
leader Kim Jong Un on wartime foes that would
Wednesday during a visit "manifest the political will
to arrange an inter-Kore- to establish the lasting and
an summit planned for this stable peace regime on
month and help rescue fal- the Korean Peninsula."
tering nuclear diplomacy South Korean officials said
between Washington and an end-of-war declaration
Pyongyang. would be among the issues
The office of South Korean discussed in the meetings
President Moon Jae-in said between the South Korean
the envoys led by his na- envoys and North Korean
tional security adviser de- officials. "Our government
livered his personal letter to believes that an end-of-war
Kim and "exchanged opin- declaration is very much
ions" on unspecified issues. needed while we enter a
It wasn't immediately clear process toward stabilizing
whether the Korean offi- peace in the Korean Penin-
cials fixed a date for a third sula through complete de-
summit this year between nuclearization," said Chung
Moon and Kim or made Eui-yong, Moon's national
any progress in breaking an security adviser and the
impasse in talks between South Korean National Security Advisor Chung Eui-yong, National Intelligence Service Director head of the South Korean
Suh Hoon and other delegates return from North Korea at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, South Korea,
North Korea and the Unit- Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018. delegation to Pyongyang,
ed States over dismantling Associated Press in a news conference on
Kim's nuclear weapons pro- Tuesday.
gram. When asked whether Donald Trump by tele- end to the 1950-53 Korean inspections and giving up "We will continue to put in
the meeting with Kim went phone on Tuesday, said be- War. The U.N. General As- a certain number of its nu- efforts so that an end-of-
well, Moon spokesman Kim fore the trip that his envoys sembly in late September clear weapons during the war declaration can be
Eui-kyeom said he didn't were tasked with a crucial would be an ideal date for early stages of the negotia- reached by the end of the
know. role at a "very important Seoul, but many analysts tions. year. We are always main-
The envoys flew back to time" that could determine see that possibility as low, While an end-of-war dec- taining close communica-
South Korea after attend- the prospects for lasting considering the complica- laration wouldn't imply a le- tion with the United States."
ing a dinner reception host- peace on the Korean Pen- tions of the process and gally binding peace treaty, Moon's five-member del-
ed by the North. Earlier on insula. how far apart the parties experts say it could create egation, which also in-
Wednesday, they met Kim While pushing ahead with currently are. political momentum that cluded his top intelligence
Yong Chol, a former spy summits and inter-Korean U.S. officials have insisted would make it easier for officer, Suh Hoon, was the
chief who has been negoti- engagement, Seoul is try- that a peace declaration, North Korea to steer the dis- same group that traveled
ating with the United States ing to persuade Washing- which many see as a pre- cussions toward a peace in March to Pyongyang,
on nuclear issues, and Ri ton and Pyongyang to pro- cursor to the North eventu- regime, diplomatic recog- where they talked and
Son Gwon, chairman of the ceed with peace and de- ally calling for the removal nition, economic benefits dined with North Korean
North's agency that han- nuclearization processes at of all U.S. troops from the and security concessions. leader Kim and reached an
dles inter-Korean affairs, at the same time so they can Korean Peninsula, cannot North Korea has accused agreement on the first sum-
Pyongyang's Koryo hotel. overcome a growing dis- come before North Korea the United States of making mit between the Korean
South Korean officials said pute over the sequencing takes more concrete ac- "unilateral and gangster- leaders in April. The South
they couldn't provide fur- of the diplomacy. tion toward abandoning like" demands for denucle- Korean officials later visited
ther details. Moon's office is Seoul also wants a trilat- its nuclear weapons. Such arization and holding back Trump at the White House
planning to hold a briefing eral summit among the steps may include pro- on the end-of-war declara- where they conveyed Kim's
on the visit on Thursday. countries, or a four-nation viding an account of the tion. North Korea's Foreign desire for a summit, which
Moon, who discussed his meeting that also includes components of its nuclear Ministry on Tuesday pub- Trump accepted on the
plans with U.S. President Beijing, to declare a formal program, allowing outside lished a lengthy statement spot.q