Europe warms to North Korea

In from the cold: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il

LONDON, England -- Germany has followed Britain and much of Europe by announcing it is to end 50 years of Cold War stand-off and open diplomatic relations with North Korea.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to become the eighth leader within the European Union to open channels with the communist state.

"There will be diplomatic relations to North Korea," a German government spokesman quoted Schroeder as saying during a visit to the South Korean capital Seoul. Though the chancellor added that he could not say when the relations would be established.

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said the UK, which has never held formal relations with the country, had received "an approach" from North Korea last month and that it would "respond positively" to it.

IN-DEPTH Korea: States of War    VIDEO CNN asks Cook why the UK is opening relations now Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Robin Cook: "We hope to help North Korea to understand the modern world" 490K/45 sec. WAV sound

Relations between the West and North Korea have been thawing since June when South Korean President Kim Dae-jung -- who received the Nobel Peace Prize last week -- held a historic summit meeting with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Il.

European Union countries who previously opened diplomatic relations with North Korea are Austria, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.

An EU spokesman told CNN.com: "The EU does not have collective relations with North Korea and it has been the policy up to now, and likely to remain, that it's up to member states. It is a bi-lateral issue."

Cook's announcement on Thursday came at the start of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Seoul where the 15 EU leaders are expected to endorse the efforts of Kim Dae-jung to improve relations between his democratic country and the communist North, and to work toward their eventual reunification.

President Jacques Chirac of France, which currently holds the EU Presidency, has undertaken a state visit to South Korea in a move intended to show EU support for the Korean reconciliation process.

"Europe is ready to strengthen its dialogue and cooperation in line with progress made in human rights and non-proliferation," a spokesman for Chirac said.

In a further move, the EU is expected to provide $17 million for North Korean farmers to help ease the state's chronic food shortage.

Cook said: "The president of South Korea is very keen that other countries help to engage North Korea by bringing it in from the cold.

Cook: Opening diplomatic relations would help 'bring North Korea in from the cold'

"The more countries that have relations with North Korea and promote dialogue with it, the better chance we have of achieving momentum on the developing peace relations between North and South Korea.

"We also have a quite wide range of concerns about North Korea. If we have diplomatic relations we have a better chance of promoting our dialogue on that and exploring our concerns."

He said establishing diplomatic relations did not imply approval of the regime.

He said: "After all, we have diplomatic relations around the world with governments with whose human rights records ... we have very great concerns.

"The advantage of having diplomatic relations is that we can have a dialogue in which we can raise those concerns and express our deep anxiety about the need for improvement in them."

Amnesty International, which launched its global "Stamp Out Torture" campaign on Wednesday, said: "This is a major opportunity for Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to press the North Korean authorities for more openness on the human rights situation and for access for human rights agencies.

"The current secrecy surrounding human rights and continuing denial of access for international human rights monitors are of grave concern to Amnesty International.

"North Korea is often called the world's most secretive state. Accurate information is currently difficult to obtain, but Amnesty International is concerned that many North Koreans are at risk of severe human rights violations including imprisonment, torture and ill-treatment in prison camps or even the death penalty under the North Korean Criminal Code."

Albright starts a two-day visit to N. Korea on Sunday

Cook's announcement came ahead of a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Kim Jong Il.

Albright's two-day visit to Pyongyang, which starts on Sunday, will be followed immediately by a meeting in Seoul with South Korean and Japanese officials.

Albright has said she would be "probing to see whether the openings for which Kim Dae-jung got the much-deserved Nobel prize allows for us to look at a different set of relationships with North Korea -- but based on our own national interests."

Kim won the prestigious Nobel award for his push for warmer ties with North Korea. He has made improved relations with the North one of the main planks of his presidency since taking office in 1998.

His meeting with his North Korean counterpart this year was the first meeting of the leaders of the two countries since the end of the Korean War.

Albright's visit could set the stage for one by U.S. President Bill Clinton, possibly in November when he is due to visit Vietnam.

Last week, North Korea's Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok, who is second in power in Pyongyang, visited Clinton at the White House.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

TIME.com: Peace Prize recognizes a truly epic achievement
October 16, 2000
Clinton may visit North Korea if relations with U.S. improve
October 12, 2000
TV report says North Korea agrees to oppose terrorism
October 12, 2000

DPRK - Democratic People's Republic of Korea
EU
Foreign & Commonwealth Office - Home
U.S. State Department, Official Web Site

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.