PAGE 01 STATE 3 3002 1307342 INFO ACDA-13 COO-00 DRAFTED BY APPROVED BY DESIRED DISTRIBUTION 180736Z 38 0 1807322 NOV 91 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0000 STATE 378008 FOR SECRETARY CHENEY FROM THE SECRETARY BAKER 1 E O 12356 TAGS OVIP BAKER JAMES A KO SUBJECT DEALING WITH THE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR PROBLEM IMPRESSIONS FROM MY ASIA TRIP l SECRET ENTIRE TEXT 2 AS YOU PREPARE FOR THE SCM TALKS WITH THE SOUTH KOREANS I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU MY IMPRESSIONS OF LEADERSHIP ATTITUDES IN SEOUL TOKYO AND BEIJING ON SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 STATE 378008 1807342 NORTH NUCLEAR PROGRAM 3 ON THE BASIS OF DEPUTIES COMMITTEE WORK ON THIS ISSUE I APPROACHED MY TALKS IN ALL THREE CAPITALS WITH THE VIEW THAT WE SHOULD WORK TOWARD A COORDINATED US JAPANESE CHINESE AND SOVIET APPROACH TO BUILDING POLITICAL PRESSURES ON THE NORTH TO SIGN AND IMPLEMENT AN IAEA SAFEGUARDS REGIME AND TO WORK OUT WITH THE SOUTH KOREANS BASED ON PRESIDENT ROH TAE NOVEMBER 8 INITIATIVE A COMMITMENT TO FORGO NUCLEAR REPROCESSING CAPABILITIES I DID NOT PROPOSE ANY FORMAL TWO PLUS FOUR APPROACH TO THIS EFFORT INDEED I STRESSED TO PRESIDENT ROH THAT WHATEVER WE WOULD DO WITH THE MAJOR POWERS WOULD BE IN SUPPORT OF THE NORTH-SOUTH or STATE Date 3 3 1 1 8133 BO Citatlons IN PART T5 authority to FOIA Exempt-om rs or f PA Exemptions DOWNGBADE T6 to l a or TALKS AND WOULD NOT UNDERCUT SOUTH KOREA LEAD ON SECURITY AND POLITICAL ISSUES IN DEALIEGG W -UH THE NORTH AND I AFFIRME-D OUR INTENTION TO SUSTAIN CLOSE -CONSULTATIONS WITH THE SOUTH 4 PRESIDENT ROH INDICATED HE IS FULLY PREPARED TO COORDINATE HIS APPROACH TO THE NORTH CLOSELY WITH US HE STRESSED THAT HIS NOVEMBER 8 INITIATIVE WAS DESIGNED TO REINFORCE THE SEPTEMBER 27 NUCLEAR INITIATIVE HE APPRECIATED OUR SENSITIVITY TO THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GERMANY AND KOREA AND HIS NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR KIM MADE IT CLEAR THAT KOREANS WANT JAPAN OR THE SOVIET UNION INVOLVED IN THE POLITICS OF THE PENINSULA EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY ON THE NUCLEAR ISSUE SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 STATE 378008 1807342 5 KIM LOOKS US AND CHINA TO PLAY THE MOST ACTIVE ROLES IN SUPPORT OF THE TALKS WE WILL HAVE AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY IN MEDIATING BETWEEN THE ROK AND JAPAN AS WE SEEK TO KEEP BOTH ON THE SAME POLICY TRACK REGARDING NORTH KOREA JAPAN HAS IMPORTANT ECONOMIC LEVERAGE ON THE NORTH WHICH THE SOUTH WILL WANT TO SEE USED BUT THEIR OWN BITTER HISTORY WITH THE JAPANESE WILL INHIBIT POLICY COORDINATION 6 I BELIEVE YOUR ON THE WITHDRAWAL OF US FORCES FROM THE ROK COMBINED WITH ENHANCEMENTS TO SOUTH CONVENTIONAL DEFENSES WHICH YOU MAY WORK OUT IN SEOUL IS CONSISTENT WITH WE BROUGHT TO ALL THESE CAPITALS WE WANT TO AVOID A LINKAGE BETWEEN OUR FORCE LEVELS AND THE PROGRAM WE WANT TO MAKE CLEAR TO THE SOUTH KOREANS THAT THE NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION ISSUE IS ONE OF STRONG REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CONCERN AND THAT THEY ARE UNLIKELY TO GET THE NORTH TO AGREE TO GIVE UP THEIR NUCLEAR PROGRAM WITH THEIR EFFORTS ALONE THE US REMAINS KEY TO ORCHESTRATING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURES ON THEIR BEHALF IN MY MIND THIS ALSO MEANS THAT WHILE WE NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO SOUTH CONCERNS THEY NEED TO APPRECIATE THAT OUR SECURITY COMMITMENT AND INTERESTS GIVE US A BIG SAY TOO 7 CONCERNING NEGOTIATIONS WITH NORTH KOREA TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS TERMS HAVE HARDENED SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE OF THE NUCLEAR ISSUE THE NEW MIYAZAWA GOVERNMENT HAS MOVED POSITION CLOSE TO SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 STATE 378008 1807342 OUR OWN NORMALIZATION AND ECONOMIC AID REQUIRE NOT JUST SIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING THE IAEA SAFEGUARDS AGREEMENT BUT ALSO FOREGOING A REPROCESSING CAPABILITY SOME JAPANESE BUREAUCRATS MAY SEEK TO NIBBLE AWAY AT THIS POSITION BUT WE SHOULD HOLD THEM TO IT WE MUST CONTINUE TO WORK IN TANDEM WITH JAPAN ON THIS ISSUE 8 THE CHINESE STILL WORRY ABOUT NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA THEY COMMUNICATED THIS CONCERN TO KIM IN OCTOBER BUT DID NOT PRESS HIM HARD TO SIGN AND IMPLEMENT THE SAFEGUARDS REGIME OR FOREGO REPROCESSING THEY PUBLICLY SUPPORT PROPOSAL FOR A NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE ZONE ON THE PENINSULA BUT ALSO SAY THE SEPTEMBER 27TH INITIATIVE IS A POSITIVE STEP IN SEOUL LAST WEEK CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER QIAN STATED PUBLICLY HIS CONCERN ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON THE PENINSULA BUT HE ALSO SAID DIALOGUE RATHER THAN PRESSURE WOULD WORK BEST WITH THE NORTH THE CHINESE PROBABLY SEE THE ISSUE MUCH AS WE DO BUT BELIEVE THEIR LEVERAGE IS GREATER IF THEY ARE NOT TOO CLOSE TO THE AMERICANS IN ADDITION THE CHINESE WANT TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO UNDERMINE THE POSITION OF ONE OF THEIR FEW REMAINING COMMUNIST BROTHERS 9 IN BEIJING THE CHINESE PROPOSED CROSSHRECOGNITION TO EASE FEARS OF ISOLATION AND INSECURITY AND THUS MOVE THEM TO SIGN ON TO THE IAEA INSPECTION REGIME THEY ALSO URGED US TO TALK AT A HIGHER LEVEL SECRET SECRET PAGE 05 STATE 378008 180734Z WITH THE NORTH AND VOLUNTEERED TO PASS MESSAGES I SAID WE MIGHT RAISE THE LEVEL OF OUR CONTACT WITH THE NORTH ON A LIMITED BASIS--NOT TO NEGOTIATE PEACE ISSUES BUT SOLELY TO MAKE CLEAR OUR POSITION AND EXPECTATIONS ON THE NUCLEAR ISSUE 10 IN SEOUL KIM CHONG-WHI ASKED FOR TIME TO CONSIDER ANY SUCH MEETING WE WILL NEED TO COORDINATE THE CONTENT AND TIMING OF SUCH A CONTACT WITH THE BLUE HOUSE THE CHINESE DID AGREE TO PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS AND TO A PUBLIC STATEMENT THAT WE WOULD BOTH WORK ON THE PROLIFERATION ISSUE BASED ON SHARED CONCERNS ABOUT THE NUCLEAR PROBLEM ON THE PENINSULA WE WILL BUILD ON THIS BASE WITH BEIJING 11 I WILL BE INTERESTED IN YOUR OWN OF YOUR SCM DISCUSSIONS IN SEOUE WE ALL KNOW THIS IS AN URGENT MATTER AND I THINK AT THIS POINT THAT WE ARE BUILD THE BASIS FOR A PARALLEL STRATEGY OF COORDINATED DIPLOMATIC PRESSURES ON THE WITH ROK INITIATIVES THROUGH THE NORTH-SOUTH TALKSH-AND OUR DEFENSE REASSURANCES TO SEOUL BAKER SECRET Current Handling Restrictions n a Current Classification SECRET This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu