A newly launched ministerial-level strategic consultative process between the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) reflects the "growing reach and ambitions" of the two countries' partnership, the State Department says.

A joint U.S.-ROK statement issued January 19 - the same day the first meetings under the new process were held in Washington - said the goal of the process, called the Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership (SCAP), is to find "creative initiatives producing concrete results" that highlight cooperation between the two countries.

Among the key initiatives Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon laid out as topics for continued discussion were increased cooperation in efforts to promote democratic institutions and human rights worldwide, strengthened coordination in fighting terrorism and pandemic disease, greater collaboration in crisis response and disaster management, and joint efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns and his Korean counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan, will chair a subministerial dialogue on this core agenda in Seoul.

The joint statement confirms a bilateral understanding on the issue of strategic flexibility for U.S. forces in South Korea as the United States' global military strategy undergoes transformation.  In implementing strategic flexibility, the United States committed to respect South Korea's position that "it shall not be involved in a regional conflict in Northeast Asia against the will of the Korean people."

Secretary Rice and Minister Ban also reaffirmed each country's commitment to urge North Korea to return to multilateral talks in Beijing on removing the threat of nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. (See related article.)

The two ministers agreed that the focus of future Six-Party Talks in Beijing must be on steps to implement the joint statement North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States signed September 19. (See related article.)

The SCAP initiative was first proposed by President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun at their summit meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on the sidelines of the annual Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in November 2005. (See related article.)

Secretary Rice and Minister Ban welcomed the inauguration of the talks and promised to meet for a second round later in 2006, the statement said.

See also "U.S. Hopes To Expand Partnership with South Korea."

For more information on U.S. policies, see U.S. Policy Toward North Korea and Arms Control and Nonproliferation.

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Following is the text of the joint statement

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
January 19, 2006

MEDIA NOTE

United States and the Republic of Korea Launch Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership

Following is the text of a joint United States-Republic of Korea statement on the launch of the Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership.

Begin Text:

The first session of the U.S.-ROK Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership was held January 19, 2006, in Washington, D.C.  The decision to launch a ministerial-level strategic consultative process was made at the Gyeongju Summit in November 2005 and signifies the growing reach and ambitions of the partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea.

The U.S.-ROK alliance was forged in battle and tested through the long years of the Cold War.  Today, our alliance remains a bulwark of stability in Northeast Asia and our security cooperation has provided a framework for the development and growth of our economic ties and the nurturing and protection of common values rooted in shared respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon agreed that the U.S.-ROK partnership encompasses a broad range of interests and goals.  The Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership aspires through regular high-level meetings supported by senior-level discussions to harness and focus the respective strengths of our societies to resolve pressing regional and global challenges.

Secretary Rice and Foreign Minister Ban set out a dynamic agenda for future discussions within the framework of the Strategic Consultations.  Their emphasis is on creative initiatives producing concrete results and highlighting cooperation between the two countries.  Key initiatives include:

- Cooperation and coordination of efforts to promote freedom, democratic institutions and human rights worldwide, demonstrated by their successful shared effort in Iraq and Afghanistan;

- Strengthened cooperation on fighting terrorism, and exerting common efforts for the observance and implementation of international security cooperation regimes for the prevention of proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and their delivery means;

- Coordination and combination of efforts to develop comprehensive international strategies to fight transnational pandemic disease;

- Maintaining a strong U.S.-ROK alliance to contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia, leading possibly to an eventual regional multinational mechanism for security cooperation;

- Developing common approaches to reinforcing peace and stability through multilateral peacekeeping and improved collaboration on crisis response and disaster management.

These initiatives will form the core of the agenda for a U.S.-ROK sub-Ministerial dialogue chaired by Under Secretary Nicholas Burns and his counterpart, Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan, in Seoul.

Regarding the issue of strategic flexibility of U.S. forces in the ROK, Secretary Rice and Foreign Minister Ban confirmed the understanding of both governments as follows: The ROK, as an ally, fully understands the rationale for the transformation of the U.S. global military strategy, and respects the necessity for strategic flexibility of the U.S. forces in the ROK.  In the implementation of strategic flexibility, the U.S. respects the ROK position that it shall not be involved in a regional conflict in Northeast Asia against the will of the Korean people.

Together, the Ministers expressed hope that a basis for a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula can be explored in the course of resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.  Secretary Rice and Minister Ban reaffirmed that efforts to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula will be based on the U.S.-ROK alliance.

The two Ministers discussed steps the two countries can take together to end the threat from the DPRK's nuclear weapons and programs.  They agreed that the DPRK must return promptly to the Six-Party Talks and that the focus of future discussions in Beijing must be on steps to implement the September 19 Joint Statement.

The two Ministers welcomed recent progress in U.S.-Korea trade relations, and discussed ways to further deepen bilateral economic cooperation.

Secretary Rice and Minister Ban welcomed the inauguration of the Strategic Consultation for Allied Partnership, viewing it as an important contribution to the strength of the bilateral relationship.  They pledged sustained follow up through further discussions later in the year.