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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman

For Immediate Release October 7, 2000 JOINT STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE 12TH MEETING OF THE U.S.-ROK-JAPAN TRILATERAL COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT GROUP The delegations of the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and Japan, headed respectively by State Department Counselor Ambassador Wendy Sherman, ROK Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Jang Jai-ryong, and Japan Deputy Vice Minister for Foreign Policy Yukio Takeuchi, held a Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TCOG) meeting in Washington, D.C. on October 7. The three delegations reviewed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and their contacts with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since their last meeting. The ROK delegation explained the outcome of its talks with the DPRK at various levels. The Japanese delegation provided details on the recent decision to provide food aid to the DPRK and other issues. The U.S. delegation provided an account of its recent meetings with the DPRK in New York, during which the DPRK informed the United States of its intent to send the Special Envoy of Chairman Kim Jong Il of the DPRK National Defense Commission, First Vice Chairman Jo Myong Rok, to Washington, D.C. The delegations exchanged views on the upcoming visit of Vice Marshal Jo. The delegations shared the view that the continued progress in their bilateral relations with the DPRK has been fostered by the inter-Korean Summit and the positive developments on the Korean Peninsula since then. They expressed the shared hope that the DPRK would continue to make positive steps to improve that atmosphere and continue making concrete progress in its bilateral relations with all three countries. They agreed that South-North reconciliation, cooperation and tension reduction, coupled with improved U.S.-DPRK and Japan-DPRK relations, were the keys to stability and peace on the Peninsula. Finally, the delegations renewed their determination to continue close coordination of their policy approaches to the DPRK. [end of document] East Asian and Pacific Affairs | Department of State | Secretary of State