NSA BAEK: EXPECT NO SURPRISES FROM N-S SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 002906

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL KS KN
SUBJECT: NSA BAEK: EXPECT NO SURPRISES FROM N-S SUMMIT


Classified By: AMB Alexander Vershbow. Reasons 1.4 (b/d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) National Security Advisor Baek Jong-chun told the
Ambassador during a September 19 meeting that all potential
agenda items for the North-South Summit were now public
knowledge. As a result, there would be no surprises at the
summit. Baek thought that a joint summit statement would be
1/3 economic cooperation, 1/3 peace regime and military
confidence-building measures, and 1/3 humanitarian
assistance, family reunions, and reunification issues. The
ROK would provide the DPRK a menu of options for economic
cooperation, but the precondition for such cooperation would
be denuclearization. The expansion of the Kaesong Industrial
Complex was the ROKG's highest economic priority for the
summit. Baek emphasized that the ROK will have constant
consultations with the U.S. on the establishment of a peace
regime. On the Northern Limit Line (NLL),the ROK would
stick to its position expressed in the 1992 Basic Agreement,
but may raise the possibility of a joint fishing area with
the DPRK. On Iraq and Afghanistan, the ROK's continued
deployment to Iraq could be easier than providing a
Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) to Afghanistan. END
SUMMARY.

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N-S SUMMIT: NO SURPRISES
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2. (C) The Ambassador opened the discussion by asking Baek
about the state of planning for the Summit. He noted that
Washington had been puzzled by President Roh's comments
suggesting that he would not have to discuss denuclearization
with Kim Jong-il. There was still much work to be done in
the Six-Party Talks, and the U.S. hoped the summit would
advance progress toward denuclearization, said the
Ambassador.


3. (C) Baek repeatedly assured the Ambassador that there
would be no surprise agreements coming out of the North-South
Summit. The ROK planned to emphasize the importance of
denuclearization to the DPRK. The agenda would consist of
denuclearization, inter-Korean economic cooperation, peace
regime, and humanitarian issues.


4. (C) The preparatory work for the summit was almost
finished, and the ROK was focusing on negotiating strategy,
not new agenda items. Baek said that summit preparation
discussions between the DPRK and the ROK focused not on
agenda items but rather on procedure, protocol and press
participation, not substance. However, the ROK was preparing
a draft joint statement that would consist of:

- economic cooperation
- peace regime and military confidence building measures
- humanitarian assistance, family reunions, and reunification
issues

While Baek believed that each of these categories would form
a third of the joint statement, the actual weight given to
each of these areas would have to be negotiated with Kim
Jong-il directly.

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ECONOMIC COOPERATION
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5. (C) Baek said that the ROK would present the DPRK with a
menu of options for economic cooperation. The prerequisite
for the implementation of these projects, however, would be
denuclearization. The ROK planned to press for further
expansion of the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC). This,
however, would require that the DPRK provide a security
guarantee for ROK citizens and allow regular rail service
across the DMZ to facilitate transportation. The DPRK would
also need to comply with international norms so that
restrictions on trade could be lifted, thereby enabling
equipment such as personal computers to be sent to the KIC.
The inclusion of CEOs of leading South Korean conglomerates,
who may invest in an expansion of the KIC, in the delegation
to Pyongyang would help reinforce this message, Baek said.
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PEACE REGIME
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6. (C) Baek stated that the ROK would raise peace regime as
an agenda item, but that the ROK viewed this simply as an
initial move toward a long-term goal. The ROK would have
constant consultations with the U.S. on this issue going
forward. Baek emphasized that the ROK would follow the
guidelines discussed during prior U.S.-ROK consultations on
peace regime, and that there would be no surprises on this
issue.

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DEFENSE ISSUES
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6. (C) The ROK did not plan to deviate from its status quo
position on the Northern Limit Line (NLL) discussions,
according to Baek. However, if the DPRK raised the issue of
the NLL, the ROK would offer a joint fishing area, consistent
with its prior statements. While the two leaders may discuss
the NLL issue in general terms, the ROK believed that the
details for implementation should be discussed during
meetings between the Defense Ministers, which would then
allow for input from the United Nations Command.

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IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN
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7. (C) Because of the recent hostage crisis in Afghanistan,
the ROK's deployment to Afghanistan would be more difficult
to sustain, Baek stated. However, the ROK might be able to
continue its Zaytun deployment to Iraq for another year,
depending on U.S. deployment decisions. Baek reiterated that
an ROK PRT in Afghanistan was possible only if the U.S.
provided force protection.
VERSHBOW