Representative Curt Weldon (Republican of Pennsylvania) has unveiled a
10-point plan for bringing peace to the Korean peninsula.

Weldon led a six-member bipartisan congressional delegation to North Korea
May 30 through June 2. At that time, the members presented the peace plan
to Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun, who, according to a June 12 press
release from Weldon's office, said the plan was "exactly what we are
looking for."

Shortly after his return from North Korea, Weldon briefed Secretary of
State Colin Powell on the results of his trip and provided the Secretary
with a copy of his plan. The plan now appears on Weldon's web site
(http://www.house.gov/curtweldon/) and was the subject of a talk Weldon
gave last week to members of the Foreign Policy Research Institute in
Philadelphia.

Weldon's initiative calls for the United States to enter into a one-year
non-aggression pact with North Korea if North Korea renounces its nuclear
weapons and research program and allows for unimpeded inspections of its
nuclear facilities.

Among the "rewards" if North Korea complies would be U.S. recognition of
the North Korean government and a permanent non-aggression pact.

Weldon is the vice-chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and a
member of the Homeland Security Committee.

Following is the text of the peace plan, as taken from Weldon's web site:

(begin text)

Congressman Weldon's Korea Peace Initiative

INTRODUCTION

On May 30 - June 2, I led a bipartisan congressional delegation composed
of six Members of the House of Representatives to Pyongyang, North Korea
(Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea/DPRK). The delegation included
Solomon Ortiz (D-TX), Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Joe Wilson (R- SC), Jeff
Miller (R-FL) and Eliot Engel (D-NY). The delegation was the largest
congressional delegation to visit the DPRK and the first to visit the DPRK
in five years. The visit occurred during a period of escalating tensions
between the DPRK, the United States, and nations of the region resulting
from the DPRK October, 2002, admission of its nuclear weapons-related
uranium enrichment program. Subsequent DPRK withdrawal from the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT); confirmation of its possession of nuclear
weapons; expelling of IAEA inspectors; declared intentions to reprocess
its spent fuel; continued sales of missiles and technology to terrorist
nations; and allegations of nation-sponsored drug trafficking all served
to further raise tensions between the DPRK and the international
community.

Discussions with senior DPRK officials included the predictable hard line
rhetoric associated with recent DPRK public statements. Still, balanced
discussion took place in the formal as well as more personal informal
sessions. The demonstrated goodwill and willingness to go beyond first
level posturing gave the delegation reason to believe that there are
options that should be considered to avoid conflict and resolve critical
outstanding issues in a way satisfactory to both sides. Failure to address
these critical issues in a timely manner could result in the proliferation
of nuclear weapons and/or technology to terrorist organizations and
States. DPRK officials repeatedly stated their belief that the Bush
Administration seeks regime change in North Korea, "The Bush
Administration finds regime change in different nations very attractive,
and is trying to have regime change, one by one. This kind of conduct
damages the U.S. image in the world and weakens the leadership role of the
U.S. This is the heart of the question. If the U.S. would sign a
non-aggression pact, we would give up nuclear programs and weapons." The
DPRK seeks normalization of relations and non-interference with its
economic relations with South Korea and Japan. They see the issue of
regime change as the determining factor in whether a peaceful resolution
to the current standoff is possible.

II. PROPOSAL TO END THE TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA

During the trip to the DPRK, I developed and presented to our North Korean
counterparts, a two step proposal to end the tensions on the Korean
Peninsula.

A. STEP ONE

Five Simultaneous Actions to Begin the Peace Process.

1. The U.S. shall enter into a 1 year non-aggression pact with the DPRK.

2. The DPRK shall officially renounce its entire nuclear weapons and
research program allowing for full and unimpeded inspections of its
nuclear facilities. The inspections should result in a full inventory of
DPRK nuclear facilities and locations including underground facilities.
The inspections will be conducted by a designee of the United States
government and will include a complete inventory of the DPRK's nuclear
weapons and materials.

3. The DPRK must rejoin the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

4. The U.S., DPRK, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China (the Korean Peace
Coalition), shall negotiate and ratify a comprehensive Korean economic
development and security initiative to promote investment, economic
growth, trade and humanitarian aid on the Korean peninsula. Funding levels
for the initiative must be in the range of $3-5 billion per year for the
next 10 years. The cost of the initiative will be funded by the five
member nations of the Korean Peace Coalition with participation from
European partners. The largest percentage of the cost for the initiative
should be provided by Japan and South Korea.

5. The U.S. shall officially recognize the government of the DPRK and open
a mission in Pyongyang.

B. STEP TWO

Following the end of one year or the agreed upon time frame and the
satisfactory completion of the inspection of DPRK facilities and
locations, compilation of nuclear weapon and material inventories and
ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

1. The U.S. non-aggression pact becomes permanent.

2. DPRK shall sign the Missile Technology Control Regime.

3. The DPRK shall agree to observer status with the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe and lays out a timeframe for improving
humanitarian rights in North Korea. Moreover, the DPRK shall agree to
return all Japanese citizens currently being held against their will in
North Korea. North Korea shall provide complete disclosure regarding the
Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea.

4. A multi-lateral cooperative threat reduction program shall be developed
by the five member nations of the Korean Peace Coalition to remove all
DPRK nuclear weapons, materials, resources and capabilities within two
years.

5. The United States Congress shall establish a direct inter-parliamentary
relationship with members of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly for
the express purpose of developing a plan to implement a broad range of
comprehensive recommendations in the following areas:

Agricultural Development
Cultural/Educational Development
Defense and Security
Economic Development
Energy/Natural Resources
Environmental Cooperation
Health Care
Judicial/Legal Systems
Local Governments
Science and Technology
Space and Aeronautics

The recommendations shall be implemented by NGO's, academic institutions,
National Associations, Health Care Organizations, and the United States
Government.

III. CONCLUSION

Each of the senior DPRK officials with whom the delegation met cited the
importance of the visit, given the current tense relationship between the
DPRK and the U.S. They also noted their understanding of the role of
Congress and that the delegation was not visiting to negotiate issues for
the United States, but to enhance mutual understanding between the two
nations.

Each of the senior DPRK officials noted the tense international situation
and sought to place the blame on the U.S. "because the U.S. seeks to make
us give up our military forces which safeguard our political system." Each
of the leaders also cited their preference for the "Clinton approach" in
the bilateral relationship and took strong exception to President Bush's
inclusion of the DPRK as part of the "Axis of Evil." They stated their
belief that such a characterization demonstrates that the U.S. is
unwilling to "accommodate with our country" and the U.S. seeks regime
change. "Further, the U.S. is enlisting other nations to prepare a nuclear
first strike - seeking to blackmail and intimidate us...The U.S. does not
want to coexist with us...And not only does the Bush Administration not
want to coexist, but wishes to get rid of my nation with its nuclear
strength...We see the U.S. preparing for a military strike...The U.S. must
change its hostile policy." Without necessarily supporting the Bush
Administration policies toward the DPRK, all members of the delegation
agreed with Representative Engel's point to DPRK officials, that
violations of the 1994 Agreed Framework by the DPRK were the reason for
the current tensions, not Bush Administration policies.

The DPRK officials stated their belief that the situation can only be
resolved by acceptance of the current leadership -- coexistence - and
dialogue. And in the meantime it intends to continue to develop its
"restraint capability" (nuclear deterrent). "We have tried dialogue and
have been patient...Our willingness to meet in Beijing in April shows our
flexibility to allow the U.S. to save face, showing our flexibility and
sincerity to resolve the issues at any cost...We have not had concrete
results. The Bush Administration has not responded to our request for
bilateral talks -- they are more focused on our first giving up our
nuclear program...This causes us to believe that the Bush Administration
has not changed its policy about disarming my nation...We want to conclude
a non-aggression treaty between the two countries and avoid a military
strike on my country." Clearly, the entering of a non-aggression agreement
by the United States and continued dialogue would send the message to
North Korea that the goal of the United States is to have a nuclear free
Korean Peninsula, and that such a goal can be achieved without war or
regime change. It would also remove their only argument for continuing to
pursue the development of nuclear weapons - a possible attack by the
United States. Removing that argument would force the North Koreans to
reveal their true intentions with respect to their nuclear program while
simultaneously sending the message to the DPRK and America's detractors
around the world that we are not intent are imposing our will around the
globe with the use of force.

DPRK officials maintained that their nuclear program is only for
deterrence and not being pursued to seek economic aid -- that "we only
wish to be left alone. The nuclear issue is directly linked to the
security of our nation...We need frank exchange on nuclear policies. Our
purpose in having a restraint (deterrent) is related to the war in Iraq.
This is also related to statements by the hawks within the U.S.
Administration. Our lesson learned is that if we don't have nuclear
restraint (deterrent), we cannot defend ourselves."

Finally, it is essential that the five member nations of the Korean Peace
Coalition continue to support increased levels of discussion and
cooperation between North and South Korea and strive for the eventual
normalization of relations between the DPRK and the rest of the world.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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