South Korea to resume rice aid, train link to North http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2007-04-22T093120Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-295129-3.xml
Sun Apr 22, 2007
By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea reached a deal with North Korea on Sunday to resume massive rice aid to its impoverished neighbour, as well agreeing to the first run of trains across their heavily fortified border in 50 years. A joint statement issued at the end of high-level talks in Pyongyang did not link the resumption of rice aid to the shutdown of the North's nuclear reactor as some in the South had intended.
South Korea, which suspended rice aid after North Korea defied international warnings and test fired missiles in July 2006, will send 400,000 tonnes of rice to the North in May, the statement said.
South Korea was hesitant to resume the aid after the North missed an April 14 deadline to start closing its Soviet-era reactor and source of plutonium for bombs as required by a six-way disarmament deal reached in February. Seoul said separately it could reconsider the aid if North Korea behaves badly.
"The South emphasises the speed and timing of the aid could be changed depending on the North's sincere implementation of the Feb. 13 agreement," the South's Unification Ministry said in a supplementary statement. Their economic talks got off to a rocky start with the North delaying the proceedings for hours. Pyongyang was angered by Seoul's call for it to abide by the disarmament deal.
Even with a good harvest, North Korea still falls about 1 million tonnes short of the food needed to feed its people, experts have said.
South Korea provides far fewer checks on its food aid to North Korea than agencies such as the U.N. World Food Programme, making it easier for it to end up in the hands of the North's powerful military instead of the hungry, critics have said.
RAIL LINKS BETWEEN RIVALS
The two Koreas also agreed at the talks to conduct on May 17 the highly symbolic first run of trains across their heavily fortified border since the 1950-1953 Korean War when refugees and wounded soldiers made the last such trip by rail.
The two Koreas are technically still at war because the conflict ended with a truce and not a peace treaty.
Seoul had promised North Korea about $80 million in aid for its light industries such as clothing and soap production if it were to allow a trial run of trains at two links it has built -- one on the east coast and another about 60 km northwest of Seoul.
North Korea's military, which is suspicious of setting up links between outside world and the secretive country, has been blocking the test runs. A planned rail crossing in May 2006 was scuttled at the last minute due to objections from the North's military, which has called for strict security measures to monitor the trains.
Earlier this month, North Korea sacked its premier and replaced him with the transport minister, possible signalling that the reclusive state wanted to step up its dilapidated rail system and increase international links, analysts said.
(With additional reporting by Kim Yeon-hee)
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