By Shim Jae-yun
Staff Reporter
The United States on Friday said it would positively consider realigning its original plan to reduce 12,500 U.S. troops in Korea by the end of 2005.
Visiting U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice revealed the U.S. stand during a meeting with President Roh Moo-hyun at Chong Wa Dae.
``Details will be discussed during incoming working-level meetings based on Rice’s revelation of the U.S. shift in policy,’’ a Chong Wa Dae official said.
South Korea has requested the U.S. to postpone its withdrawal plan at least by the year 2007 and downscale the envisioned troop reduction.
During a courtesy call on Roh, Rice conveyed a personal letter of U.S. President George Bush, expressing his thanks for Seoul’s plan to dispatch additional troops to Iraq despite the beheading of a South Korean man, Kim Sun-il, by Iraqi militants.
Sources said the U.S. came with the decision in return for South Korea’s pushing for the troops dispatch, making it the U.S.’ second largest coalition partner in the Middle Eastern nation after Britain.
Roh told Rice the U.S. should show more a flexible attitude in dealing with the North Korean issue during the upcoming multilateral talks to ensure rapid progress in the nuclear negotiation.
Rice also met her Korean counterpart Kwon Jin-ho and Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Ban Ki-moon after meeting with Roh. She departed to the U.S. after a six-hour stay.
Rice and the Seoul officials also discussed pending security issues like the standoff over the North Korean nuclear weapons program.
They agreed to more closely cooperate to ensure the success of the incoming fourth six-party talks on the nuclear issue while positively assessing the outcome of the third talks in Beijing.
Before coming here, Rice also visited Japan and China in her tour of the Asian nations. She visited Seoul as a member of the entourage for President Bush in February 2002.
Kwon and Rice also discussed ways of promoting the cooperation between the National Security Councils of the two nations in addressing pending security issues.
jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr
