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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Sep 1997

Vol. 480 No. 6

Written Answers - Korean Food Shortages.

Bernard Allen

Question:

55 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the current situation in Korea, particularly in relation to hunger there; and if he will make a statement on the USbased Korean peace talks. [14614/97]

The serious food shortages which have arisen in North Korea have implications for the political and economic stability of the entire Korean peninsula. To the best of our knowledge, famine conditions do not currently exist in North Korea but malnutrition is believed to be widespread and any failure of this year's harvest could have catastrophic consequences. The Government has already made available £615,000 to the World Food Programme and to Trócaire — and its sister agency Caritas Hong Kong — for the provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of North Korea. A further grant of £100,000 was approved this week to supply emergency food aid. Much credit must be given to those agencies who have visited the affected areas and set up relief operations. We shall continue to monitor the situation very closely and we are prepared to give further assistance to suitable projects to help meet the urgent needs of those most vulnerable.

The Deputy will be aware that since its inception as a state following the Second World War, North Korea has adopted an aggressive and militaristic stance towards much of the outside world. Although the Korean War came to an end in 1953, a formal peace treaty between the belligerents in that war has yet to be concluded. Talks aimed at such a settlement took place in New York earlier this month and involved representatives from both parts of Korea, the United States and China. The parties were, however, unable to agree on an agenda to permit formal peace negotiations to commence. It would appear that the latest impasse has arisen as a result of the continued demand by North Korea for the withdrawal of US troops from South Korea and for the signing of a separate peace treaty between itself and the United States.

The Government continues to hope that an agreement between the parties may still be possible and that formal peace talks can commence as planned in Geneva before the end of this year. It is clear, however, that the intransigence of the North Korean side must be recognised as the major obstacle preventing such an agreement being reached at the present time.
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