Roh Says Iraq Troops Hinge on NK Nukes

President Roh Moo-hyun again stressed yesterday that the peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue is "a very important factor" in deciding whether to send additional troops to Iraq.

"In considering the troop dispatch issue, it is very important to have optimistic prospects and an assurance of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula," Roh told a ceremony to mark the 55th anniversary of the Armed Forces Day held at Seoul Airport.

"Most of all, we need to build a more solid phase of dialogue to assure the peaceful resolution of the North`s nuclear issue," he added.

His remarks are seen as linked to South Korea`s request for other countries, including the United States, China, Japan, Russia, to step up their efforts to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully, some analysts said.

"The Seoul government is sending an indirect message to the United States to favorably consider a non-aggression pact demanded by North Korea before proceeding with the nuclear talks," said a political analyst, who asked to remain anonymous.

Roh said the government is carefully reviewing the U.S. troop request by looking into various factors such as domestic and foreign public opinions, Korea`s security condition and Iraq`s internal situation.

During the speech, Roh also called on North Korea to engage in another round of multilateral nuclear talks and abandon its nuclear weapon ambitions.

"North Korea should not miss this opportunity that we and the international community are offering," he said.

The second round of six-nation talks involving South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, has been delayed after its predecessor ended without any tangible agreement in August.

North Korea is threatening to pull out of nuclear weapons talks and says it is boosting its weapons arsenal to deter any attack by the United States. It blames the United States for the latest standoff and claims Washington must sign a non-aggression pact to get the talks back on track.

Roh also stressed the need to enhance South Korea`s self-defense capabilities within the next 10 years.

He acknowledged that South Korea has "not been able to assume the role of a main actor in our own security matters and instead were swayed by developments in the external environment."

"In order to achieve firm national security, first we should achieve self-reliant national defenses within the next 10 years," he said. "During my term in office, I intend to lay the foundation for such self-defense capabilities."

The nation`s top executive, however, stressed that he would not belittle the half-century-old alliance between Korea and the United States.

"The role of the United States Forces Korea will continue to be important in the years to come," Roh said, praising the U.S. forces for helping buttress peace and stability in Northeast Asia as well as on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea`s security cooperation with friendly nations will have to be bolstered one step further "on the basis of a firm ROK-U.S. alliance", he said.

On the issue of the proposed realignment of U.S. troops in Korea, Roh said, "The two countries will continue to consult closely with each other and pursue the matter in such a way that the readjustment will not weaken the deterrent effect against war on the peninsula while further promoting the mutual interests of the two allies."

Under the new relationship being forged between South Korea and the United States, South Korean armed forces will lead defense missions on all fronts, he said.