North Korea wants military talks with US

[seafan]

Source: Financial Times

By Song Jung-a in Seoul
July 13 2007 06:43


North Korea on Friday in an unusual move called for military talks with the US, attended by a United Nations representative, to discuss peace and security on the Korean peninsula.
The proposal comes a day before UN nuclear monitors are due to return to Pyongyang to oversee the shutdown of North Korea’s main nuclear reactor, and as multilateral talks to disarm the communist state are set to resume in Beijing next week.

North Korea previously has sought direct discussions with the US on a political level but has not before broached military talks.
”The Korean People’s Army side proposes having talks between the DPRK and US militaries to be attended by a UN representative,” the North’s military said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

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Washington has said it can discuss a peace treaty on the Korean peninsula and normalising ties with Pyongyang only after North Korea completely dismantles its nuclear programme as agreed under the six-party deal.

But experts said Pyongyang is likely to urge Washington to end a ”hostile” policy against the regime and to stop joint military exercises with the South. The US stations about 30,000 troops in the South to deter any aggression from the North, after the Korean War ended in a truce, which was signed by the US, North Korea, and China.

Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4b0ad70a-3100-11dc-891f-0000779fd2ac.html