[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S11195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, I hope that in the process of being 
absorbed in the crises around the world, we do not forget the North 
Korean situation.
  It is the one place on the face of the Earth where more troops are 
facing each other than any other, and it is a place where there is 
virtually no communication between the two Governments, North Korea and 
South Korea.
  Let me add that I appreciate the responsible role that my colleague, 
Senator Frank Murkowski, took on the recent amendment offered by 
Senator Lieberman.
  It is easy to do things that are popular, and Frank Murkowski won no 
votes in Alaska with his stand. But he did the responsible and right 
thing for the people of Alaska and this Nation and of the world, and I 
applaud him for it. It is no accident that he has been to North Korea 
and has greater understanding of that situation than many Members of 
the Senate.
  Not too long ago, Ambassador James Laney, the U.S. Ambassador to 
South Korea, made a speech in which he said that the leaders of North 
Korea ``are driven not by arrogance, but by insecurity.'' I tend to 
believe that is accurate. And we have to fashion a face-saving way of 
maneuvering them to become more responsible members of the world 
community.
  Ambassador Laney also said in commenting on the situation: ``For our 
part we do not need to act strong because we are strong.''
  I believe in the soundness in what he has said.
  I urge members of the State Department and of the administration not 
to put the North Korea matter on the back burner, but to continue to 
focus on it, and try to bring about greater communication. If the four-
power talks that have been suggested do not become reality, then at the 
very least, we ought to be inviting parliamentarians from both North 
Korea and South Korea to meet informally in the United States with each 
other and with others in our country.

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