Solana Quotes Kim Jong-il: 'Missile Buyers Welcome'

Although North Korea's Kim Jong-il told an EU delegation he would continue a missile test moratorium until 2003, he also said he would sell missiles and technology to willing buyers, a top EU official said Friday.

Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign and security policy chief, told reporters here, "The chairman said two things related to missiles. He is confident that he can continue the moratorium, a product of talks between North Korea and United States, through 2003. On the export of technology, he said that if he finds people who will buy [missile delivery] vehicles or want to buy, he will sell them."

His remarks appeared to chill hopes that the 23-member EU delegation, led by Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, had made progress in easing relations between North Korea and United States, on which progress in inter-Korean relations appears to depend.

Before Mr. Solana spoke, President Kim Dae-jung and Prime Minister Persson met reporters after a 90-minute conversation. They lauded Kim Jong-il's missile test moratorium pledge as a hopeful sign for continued North-South and DPRK-U.S. diplomacy.

"I believe it will have a positive effect on resuming U.S.-North Korea dialogue," Mr. Kim said, referring to the moratorium.

Mr. Persson had earlier told the press that Kim Jong-il also expressed a desire to hold the second inter-Korean summit with President Kim, but said the timing of his visit to the South would be set after the Bush administration concludes its North Korea policy review, perhaps this month. The North Korean leader stressed many times that "he does not perceive the United States as an enemy," Mr. Persson said.

Seoul officials noted the two-pronged remarks from the North. "Pyongyang plans to refrain from test-firing, which will give ammunition to critics of the U.S. administration's missile shield program, but it will not stop [missile] exports, the bread and butter of North Korean foreign currency earnings," a high-ranking official said on condition of anonymity.

North Korea is thought to have the capacity to produce some 100 short-range Scud missiles per year, and is estimated to have exported some 400 missiles to Iran, Syria, Pakistan and other Middle East nations.

The EU president, the first Western leader to visit North Korea, was in Pyongyang on May 1-2. The delegation flew directly to Seoul on Thursday, and returned to Europe on Friday.

by Kim Jin-kook