The US denied on Thursday that there is a rift with South Korea
over the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue despite contradictory
remarks from the two sides on the thorny problem.
"There is no rift between the US and South Korea. We are close
allies. We are close partners in a broad bilateral relationship and
particularly in our common approach to denuclearizing the Korean
Peninsula," State Department deputy spokesperson Adam Ereli said at
a briefing.
The US has insisted that North Korea should dismantle all its
nuclear programs, including the civilian use of nuclear power.
However, South Korea said that the North has the right for such a
capability.
"Our position is that North Korea has a general right to
peaceful use of nuclear energy, for agricultural, medical and
power-generating purposes," South Korean Unification Minister Chung
Dong-young said in an interview in Seoul.
During the fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing, North
Korea insisted on its right to retain a light-water nuclear reactor
in any final agreement with the US.
The fourth round of talks, which lasted for 13 days in Beijing,
went into recess on Sunday. All parties have agreed to resume the
talks in the week beginning August 29.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2005)