[USFK Forums] Ban Urges N. Korea to Clear Suspicions Over Financial Illegalities

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Wednesday, March 1, 2006

The Korea Times

Minister Ban Urges N. Korea to Clear Suspicions Over Financial Illegalities

Tuesday, February 28, 2006By Park Song-wu, Staff Reporter

Ban Ki-moon
Minister of foreign affairs and trade

Seoul's top diplomat Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday that it would be appropriate for Pyongyang to carry out a necessary remedy for its ``negative image,'' especially amid allegations that it is counterfeiting U.S. bills.

``If the North did not commit such things (producing bogus U.S. bills and laundering them at a bank in Macau), it would be better for Pyongyang to come out and clear itself of those suspicions,'' he said.

The minister of foreign affairs and trade also said that Seoul is trying hard to resume the six-party nuclear talks before Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the United States in April.

``The Chinese leader plans to visit the United States in late April,'' Ban said. ``Between now and then, we will try hard to administer our diplomatic measures to resume the six-party talks. If reopened, I think active measures could be taken to implement the joint principle document, reached in September.''

The six participants _ the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan _ adopted the statement in September on how to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, in which Pyongyang promised to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for a security guarantee and international aid.

The minister, who was attending a symposium hosted by the Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security to mark the third anniversary of its inauguration, said that he thinks the outlook of the six-party talks is optimistic even though the dialogue has its ups and downs.

But Ban's counterpart in Pyongyang said that the resumption of the multilateral dialogue would not be possible unless Washington lifts its financial sanctions against North Korea.

The North's Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun said in an interview with Russian news agency Itar-Tass in Pyongyang that there is no justification for American financial sanctions, which ``hamper the fulfillment of the agreement'' reached in September.

``U.S. financial sanctions against the DPRK are in fact a sort of conspiracy designed to overthrow the regime and dismantle the nuclear program on a priority basis,'' Paek said.

DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He, however, said North Korea is ready ``at any moment'' to resume the nuclear talks if the ``obstacles'' are removed. ``Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is our ultimate goal,'' he said.

The two ministers' remarks came a week before a North Korean official's visit to the United States to attend a briefing by the U.S. Treasury Department on why Washington imposed the financial restrictions against Pyongyang.

The six-party talks have been in limbo since the latest round of the dialogue was held in November. After a three-day meeting, the North declared it would not return to the talks until Washington lifts the financial sanctions.

In September, Washington issued what it calls financial restrictions against Banco Delta Asia in Macau for its suspicious financial services to North Korea for over 20 years. As a result, the bank severed its ties with Pyongyang.

im@koreatimes.co.kr

02-28-2006 19:17

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