NORTH Korea has agreed to help arrange four nation peace talks aimed at closing the books on the 1950-53 Korean war, Seoul officials said yesterday.
Pyongyang has accepted a suggestion that senior officials from the two Koreas, the United States and China meet around early August to set an agenda and other details for the peace talks," a government official said.
Yesterday marked the 47th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean conflict.
President Clinton and President Kim Youngsam of South Korea proposed last year that the four states work out a peace settlement to replace the now fraying cease fire pact which ended the war.
The North's official daily said Pyongyang would be ready to discuss peace "as long as the enemies do not provoke a war". The paper, monitored in Tokyo, said in an editorial: "The Korean People's "Army is keeping a sharp eye on every move of the warmongers, who are outwardly calling for `fourway talks' to secure peace and security while waiting for a chance to trigger a war of aggression against the North."
North Korean watchers said acceptance of peace talks represented a reversal of North Korea's previous stand that any treaty to secure peace on the Korean peninsula must be signed directly by Washington and Pyongyang, excluding South Korea.
"North Korea's acceptance of the peace talks underlines how serious its food problem is," said Mr Lee Kiwon, vicepresident at the independent Institute of North Korea Studies. "The North needs to ease its food shortage to allow its leader, Kim Jongil, to formally take over power.
On July 8th. North Korea marks the third anniversary of the death of state founder, Kim Il sung, a milestone that analysts say could clear the way for his son, Kim Jong il, to take over as head of the state and the ruling Workers Party. The two posts have been left vacant since Kim's death.
North Korea agreed in principle last April to join the four nation talks but made its participation conditional on large scale food aid and an easing of US trade sanctions. South Korea and the US have said such assistance could be discussed during peace talks.
"I believe Seoul and Washington have agreed to talk about food aid as soon as the peace talks begin," Mr Lee said.
The US has pledged $25 million and South Korea $16 million in response to the UN World Food Programme's most recent appeal for 203,000 tonnes, or $95.5 million of food for North Korea.
The South Korean Foreign Minister, Mr Yoo Chong ha, said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the prospects of holding peace talks this year.
. Russian communists, in a Soviet style gesture of international solidarity, said yesterday they plan to collect food for famine stricken North Korea under the slogan "A kilo of rice for a Korean friend". A spokesman said in Moscow the idea came from a handful of groups, including the procommunist Officers' Union.