U.S., North Korea pledge cooperation on terrorism

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department made public a joint U.S.-North Korean statement in which Pyongyang said it opposes all forms of terrorism and believes that all U.N. member states must refrain from such activity.

The statement was based on a series of discussions between the two countries, the latest of which was this past week in New York.

U.S. officials have been advising the North Koreans during the discussions on what they must do to be removed from the State Department's list of countries that export terrorism.

That designation bars all but humanitarian aid and forbids other types of economic benefits for North Korea and the six other countries on the list.

In the statement, the two sides "underscored their commitment to support the international legal regime combating international terrorism and to cooperate with each other in taking effective measures to fight against terrorism."

They also shared the view that terrorists and terrorist groups should not be provided material support or resources, including a haven from prosecution. They also agreed that terrorists should be brought to justice.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the statement is important. "It puts us and North Korea together in the same mode of trying to address the terrorism issue seriously," he said.

It also shows the two countries have similar understandings of opposition to terrorism and what needs to be done to combat it, Boucher said.

He said the statement does not resolve the issues for which North Korea was put on the terrorism list in the first place, although he acknowledged the possibility that Pyongyang may be removed from the list during Cho's visit.

Pyongyang was put on the list because its agents bombed a South Korean airliner in 1987 near Burma, or Myanmar. All 115 people on board the Korean Airlines plane died. The airline later became known as Korean Air.

The statement comes a week before the visit of a high ranking North Korean official to Washington. The visit is seen as a "big plus" in the Clinton administration's quest for reconciliation between the two countries, President Clinton said Friday.

Clinton told reporters he wants to explore an accommodation during the visit of Cho Myong Nok, the first vice chairman of North Korea's National Defense Commission.

Described as the right-hand man to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Cho will be the highest ranking North Korean to visit Washington.

Clinton said reconciliation would be a good thing not only for Korean War enemies but also for South Korea and Japan. He added that China strongly supports Cho's visit.

"I will explore what the possibilities are and consider what actions they (the North Koreans) are willing to take (and) what actions we should take, consistent not only with our own interests but with those of South Korea and our other friends in the region," Clinton said.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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