President Lee, Sec. of State Clinton Agree on Early Ratification of FTA

Duo vows to make concerted efforts in areas of trade, denuclearization of peninsula, Japan's recovery

President Lee Myung-bak meets with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae on April 17.

President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reached an agreement on the need for an early ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) when they met at Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential office, on April 17.
President Lee urged the U.S. Secretary of State to make concerted efforts to effectuate the FTA at as early a date as possible, emphasizing the tremendous benefit the pact will bring to both countries.
Clinton reassured Lee of U.S. President Barrack Obama's strong support for the bilateral trade pact and said she will do her utmost to ensure the FTA is ratified swiftly.
Both sides agreed that the alliance between Seoul and Washington has remained strong as a result of issues with North Korea and agreed to closely cooperate for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Lee and Clinton agreed to cooperate to help Japan recover from the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami last month. They also agreed to closely cooperate and share information in order to jointly respond to radiation exposure from Japan.
Clinton said South Korea and the United Sates can enhance cooperation in democratization and peace keeping in the Middle East. She also praised Seoul's recent decision to support Afghanistan with $500 million dollars in assistance.
Mentioning heightened global interest in nuclear security following the earthquake in Japan, Secretary of State Clinton urged the president to play a leading role in the nuclear security issue at the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit, which will be held in Seoul next year.
United States Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke will visit Korea on April 27 to further discuss the Korea-U.S. FTA. Locke and five members of the U.S. House of Representatives will visit Korea to discuss pending issues and visit Korean firms, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a press release on April 15.
As part of his summit diplomacy, President Lee also met with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard who visited Korea April 23-25 on the occasion of the Australia-Korea Year of Friendship 2011 and to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
The president and Prime Minister Gillard held a summit and attended a luncheon on April 25. During the meeting, they discussed ways to promote substantive cooperation between the two countries in a variety of fields, including national security; the economy and trade; resources and energy; culture and people-to-people exchanges. They engaged in discussions on how to work together in the international arena, including at the G-20, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
During her stay, Gillard attended the ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Gapyeong during the Korean War and toured the truce village of Panmunjeom. She also met with Korean War veterans. In addition, she had dinner with Korean business leaders to exchange ideas on matters related to economic collaboration and the promotion of investments.
The Australian leader's official visit came about two years after the president's visit to Australia in March 2009 and is expected to make significant contributions to strengthening bilateral ties and substantive cooperation between the two countries. nw

-photo on courtesy of MCST