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Roh for peaceful resolution of n-issue with N. Korea

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Dec. 20. South Korea's President-Elect, Roh Moo-hyun, today spelt out the outlines of a foreign policy that he would wish to pursue while in office. The centrepiece is his pledge to take the initiative for a `peaceful' resolution of North Korea's nuclear weaponisation programme. While he would engage the U.S. and Japan for this purpose, the larger issue of Seoul's existing but sensitive security alliance with Washington would be a matter of utmost priority.

Mr. Roh affirmed categorically that South Korea would, under his presidency, ``maintain friendly relations with the United States''. He is understood to have conveyed this to the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Thomas Hubbard, during a meeting at the headquarters of the Millennium Democratic Party, the President-Elect's base, in Seoul today. Significantly in this context, Mr. Roh indicated to journalists in Seoul that he would engage the U.S. with a view to streamlining the bilateral alliance that had now come under considerable strain in the wake of angry protests by South Koreans against America's perceived arrogance. Changes, if any, to the U.S.-Seoul alliance should be considered against the backdrop of the wishes of the South Korean people, Mr. Roh hinted.

Mr. Roh set out his foreign policy priorities even as South Korea and the U.S. today held the first meeting of an important Joint Task Force. It was formed earlier to seek "operational improvements'' as regards the U.S.-Seoul military accord that has governed the legal status of the American troops in South Korea over the years since the end of the Korean War nearly 50 years ago. At today's meeting, the two sides were said to have reached a `consensus' that they should cooperate more closely to deal with the problems that were caused by the implementation of the existing Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).

On North Korea, Mr. Roh was very keen to underline a "leading role'' for South Korea. "We will play a leading role in solving the North Korean nuclear (weapons) issue peacefully'', Mr. Roh said.

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