Giving Peace A Chance

NEW YORK: The North Korean delegation left an historic preliminary round of multilateral talks aimed at formally ending the Korean War with a firm 'no comment,' saying saying they need more time to consider the prop osal. The daylong New York City summit stopped short of full peace negotiations, but provided the opportunity for the U.S. and South Korean delegations to lay out details of a plan proposed last April by President Clinton and President Kim Young Sam of South Korea to hold peace talks between the two Koreas, China and the United States. Despite North Korea's reluctance, the very fact that its increasingly isolated and insular government agreed to even limited discussions after 25 years of stubborn silence on the issue is considered a major breakthrough. The North downplayed its presence, however, suggesting it agreed to attend out of "deep regret" for a recent incursion of a North Korean submarine into South Korean waters. Nonetheless, t he U.S. and South Korea continued efforts to woo the North: The Clinton Administration announced it would not conduct military operations with the South, while the U.S. and South Korean delegations made it clear that North Korea's participation in peace talks would be rewarded by more economic cooperation, an offer sure to resonate in a nation torn by economic crisis. In recent weeks, the U.S. has made good on similar offers of aid, most notably by pledging $10 million in relief after Nort h Korea made an emergency plea to the World Food Program. Incentives aside, some analysts say the sheer number of dilemmas faced by North Korea -- epitomized by the defection of high-ranking official Hwang Jang Yop -- may have it teetering on the edg e of collapse, and that, more than any promise of aid, is what could bring its leaders to the bargaining table. But North Korea remains difficult to read, and with its leader, Kim Jong Il, still wielding considerable power, anything is poss ible.