MDP to Arrange Visit to NK for Hillary Clinton

[phk]

MDP to Arrange Visit to NK for Hillary Clinton
   
The opposition Millennium Democratic Party is trying to arrange a visit by Hillary Clinton to North Korea along with a group of U.S. senators.

Party chairman Han Hwa-kap plans to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Christopher Hill today to discuss the issue, according to MDP officials Sunday.

``If possible, the visit will come sometime later this year,’’ an MDP member said on condition of anonymity.

Hill was designated as assistant U.S. secretary of state on North East Asia, a job that will task him with negotiations on the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program on behalf of the U.S.

Han had been seeking to solidify his political clout by continuing the sunshine policy of engaging North Korea pursued under former President Kim Dae-jung.

Han is now leading the Asian part of the Asia-U.S. Network, a forum of lawmakers from both continents. He sent invitations to five U.S. congressmen earlier this year, including Republican senators Conrad Burns of Montana and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, to visit North Korea with him.

MDP has said the New York senator, Clinton, hoped to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to discuss the nuclear issue. Hillary’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, had actively pushed for rapprochement with the North Korean regime in the final months of his administration.

``We understand that both South Korean and U.S. governments would support Senator Hillary Clinton's North Korea visit,’’ an aide to the Korean opposition leader said, requesting anonymity.

Another party member said the U.S. Congress and administration strongly support the senators’ bids to visit North Korea as part of efforts to find a peaceful solution to the continuing impasse involving North Korean nuclear drive.

Senior officials from Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have had several rounds of negotiations to coordinate policies in addressing the nuclear issue.

The nuclear standoff has intensified since the reclusive North declared it had already possessed nuclear weapons and would not take part in the six-party talks aimed at persuading the North into dismantling the nuclear program.

But the North Korean leader has hinted that the North would return to the dialogue table should the U.S. concede certain points including dropping its hostile attitude toward the communist nation.

The nuclear row has been stalled with the participating nations in the multilateral talks having failed to resume the 4th round of negotiations which was originally scheduled for September last year.