Lee proposes `grand bargain` on N.K. nukes

President Lee Myung-bak on Monday proposed a "grand bargain" for North Korea`s irreversible denuclearization in exchange for a security guarantee and economic aid by the international community.

He called for the five members of the six-party talks to discuss the new "one-shot" package deal. His aides said Seoul and Washington have been discussing the overture based on an agreement between Lee and U.S. President Barack Obama in June.

"We should now push a grand bargain under which a security guarantee and international assistance are provided if North Korea dismantles the core parts of its nuclear programs through the six-party talks," Lee said in an address to a meeting hosted by the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, the Korea Society and the Asia Society.

His proposal came as North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly said last week Pyongyang is willing to engage in bilateral talks with the United States and a multilateral dialogue. The North boycotted the six-party talks in the wake of U.N. sanctions in response to its long-range rocket test in April.



Lee`s aides said the new package will no longer allow the North to resort to its past tactic of reneging on agreements and raising new demands for progress in denuclearization.

Lee called for talks between South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia to discuss his new proposal.

He emphasized the role of China as the chair of the six-party talks.

Lee and Chinese President Hu Jintao will hold a summit on Wednesday, Cheong Wa Dae said.

Lee arrived here earlier Sunday to attend the U.N. General Assembly and a summit on climate change. He met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and encouraged Korean staff at the U.N. Secretariat later in the day.

Lee is also set to hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Wednesday.

The leaders of South Korea, Japan and China are scheduled to hold a three-way summit in China early next month.

"President Lee and President Hu will discuss a wide range of issues, including the North Korean nuclear issue," Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters.

Lee will be participating in the G20 economic summit in Pittsburgh later in the week.

Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, who is accompanying Lee on the trip, will hold a series of meetings with his counterparts this week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, ministry officials said yesterday.

He is scheduled to meet with his U.S. counterpart Hillary Clinton on Monday and the North Korean nuclear stalemate is expected to top the range of issues for discussion, ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.

Yu will meet with Hoshyar Zebari, his Iraqi counterpart, and Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Tuesday and hold talks with the Panamanian and Spanish foreign ministers on Wednesday.

Yu and his Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet will sign an agreement on avoidance of double-taxation on Wednesday, the spokesman said.

The South Korean minister is also scheduled to attend several multilateral meetings, including the annual Millennium Promise meeting aimed at eradicating poverty. (jjhwang@heraldm.com)



By Hwang Jang-jin and news reports