North Korea yesterday proposed high-level military talks with the US over the sinking of a South Korean warship, just hours before the UN Security Council was due to issue a statement on the issue yesterday morning in New York.
The North’s military had earlier called for talks only with their South Korean counterparts about the sinking, a proposal rejected by Seoul, which accuses Pyongyang of torpedoing the Cheonan.
South Korea had said the matter should be handled at talks between the US-led UN Command and North Korea’s military, within the framework of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War.
The North, which denies any role in the sinking, previously refused to deal with the US-led command but appears to have changed its stance.
Its military proposed holding working talks at the truce village of Panmunjom on Tuesday to discuss the possible opening of talks at the general level with the US
“This proposal is a manifestation of the unshakable will of the army and people of the [North] to probe the truth behind the Cheonan case in an objective, scientific and fair way,” its official news agency said.
Meanwhile, diplomats say the Security Council was set to approve a statement condemning the torpedo attack that killed 46 sailors, but the declaration stops short of directly blaming Pyongyang.
After more than a month of closed-door discussions, the US announced on Thursday that the five permanent council members — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — as well as South Korea and Japan had reached agreement on the text.
US Ambassador Susan Rice introduced the draft statement to the 15-member council at a closed meeting late on Thursday.
Presidential statements must be approved by the full council, said diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was closed. They said there was no opposition. While presidential statements don’t have the clout of resolutions, they do become part of the Security Council’s record.
A South Korean-led international investigation that included experts from five other nations concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the Cheonan on March 26.
South Korea sent a letter to the council on June 4 asking it to respond to the sinking “in a manner appropriate to the gravity of North Korea’s military provocation.” The South had wanted the council to condemn the North. But China opposed a third round of sanctions against Pyongyang or direct condemnation for the sinking.
The draft statement “condemns the attack” and expresses “deep concern” over the investigation’s findings that North Korea was to blame. It calls for “appropriate and peaceful measures to be taken against those responsible.”
However, it doesn’t identify who is responsible, and “takes note” of North’s response “that it had nothing to do with the incident.”
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