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N. Korea threatens to pull out of peace treaty

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE FEB. 18. North Korea is intensifying its confrontation with the United States following its suspected move to impose sanctions on the Kim Jong-il regime by acting alone or in conjunction with other countries. The latest in a series of diplomatic salvos from North Korea is its threat to dishonour its commitments under the Armistice

Accord that formally brought the Korean War of the early 1950s to a close without a formal peace treaty among the parties involved at that time. In a sequel to this new threat, which has been articulated firmly for the first time, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea demanded today that the U.S. dismantle and remove its alleged nuclear arsenal from South Korea.

The DPRK's People's Army said in a statement, at the truce village of Panmunjom, that "if the U. S. violates and misuses the Armistice Agreement, there will be no need for us (North Koreans) to remain bound to the Armistice Agreement."

Direct dialogue

Meanwhile, the North Korean Foreign Minister visited Beijing even as the outgoing South Korean President, Kim Dae-jung, reiterated his view that the nuclear crisis in East Asia could be resolved only through a direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, suggesting that the international community could perhaps `alternate' between the multilateral talks as desired by the U.S. and the bilateral track as demanded by the DPRK in its dealings with Washington over the North Korean nuclear issue.

"But the important thing is the U.S.-North Korea talks", Mr. Kim noted in an authentic version of his latest remarks. He also identified the U.S. as South Korea's most important ally in these circumstances. It is in this context that the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Thomas Hubbard, declared in Seoul today that Washington "emphatically disagrees with North Korea's contention that this (nuclear) issue is strictly a bilateral dispute between North Korea and the U.S."

According to him, "it is certainly not a bilateral dispute and there is a major role for the Republic of Korea (the South)"

In a major policy speech, Mr. Hubbard underlined that "the deterrence provided by the close and long-standing alliance between Korea and the U.S. provides the foundation for long-term peace and stability on thepeninsula."

Referring to the diplomatic and emotional turbulence in the U.S.-South Korean equation, the U.S. envoy noted that "military alliances are rarely easy."

He would, therefore, assure the South Koreans that "our commitment to defend the security of the Republic of Korea remains unshaken."

However, he emphasised, "there is definitely room for change in alliance.'

The U.S.-South Korea alliance "not only should be balanced it must be seen as being so".

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