Former US President Jimmy Carter. (photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP)
We Must Assure North Korea the US Will Forego Any Military Action as Long as
They Remain Peaceful
By Jimmy Carter, Fox 5
13 August 17
The harsh rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang during recent months has
exacerbated an already confrontational relationship between our countries,
and has probably eliminated any chance of good faith peace talks between the
United States and North Korea. In addition to restraining the warlike
rhetoric, our leaders need to encourage talks between North Korea and other
countries, especially China and Russia. The recent UN Security Council
unanimous vote for new sanctions suggests that these countries could help.
In all cases, a nuclear exchange must be avoided. All parties must assure
North Koreans they we will forego any military action against them if North
Korea remains peaceful.
I have visited North Korea three times, and have spent more than 20 hours in
discussions with their political leaders regarding important issues that
affect U.S.-DPRK relations.
In June 1994, I met with Kim Il Sung in a time of crisis, when he agreed to
put all their nuclear programs under strict supervision of the International
Atomic Energy Agency and to seek mutual agreement with the United States on
a permanent peace treaty, to have summit talks with the president of South
Korea, to expedite the recovery of the remains of American service personnel
buried in his country, and to take other steps to ease tension on the
peninsula. Kim Il Sung died shortly after my visit, and his successor, Kim
Jong Il, notified me and leaders in Washington that he would honor the
promises made by his father. These obligations were later confirmed
officially in negotiations in Geneva by Robert Gallucci and other
representatives of the Clinton administration.
I returned to Pyongyang in August 2010, at the invitation of North Korean
leaders, to bring home Aijalon Gomes, an American who had been detained
there. My last visit to North Korea was in May 2011 when I led a delegation
of Elders (former presidents of Ireland and Finland and former prime
minister of Norway) to assure the delivery of donated food directly to needy
people.
During all these visits, the North Koreans emphasized that they wanted
peaceful relations with the United States and their neighbors, but were
convinced that we planned a preemptive military strike against their
country. They wanted a peace treaty (especially with America) to replace the
ceasefire agreement that had existed since the end of the Korean War in
1953, and to end the economic sanctions that had been very damaging to them
during that long interim period. They have made it clear to me and others
that their first priority is to assure that their military capability is
capable of destroying a large part of Seoul and of responding strongly in
other ways to any American attack. The influence of China in Pyongyang seems
to be greatly reduced since Kim Jong Un became the North Korean leader in
December 2011.
A commitment to peace by the United States and North Korea is crucial. When
this confrontational crisis is ended, the United States should be prepared
to consummate a permanent treaty to replace the ceasefire of 1953. The
United States should make this clear, to North Koreans and to our allies.
e-max.it: your social media marketing partner