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thedrifter
07-15-03, 01:45 PM
U.S. TO PAY N. KOREA FOR MIA SEARCH
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> ASSOCIATED PRESS
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> The United States will pay North Korea $2.1 million to conduct four
searches this summer and fall for remains of American servicemen missing
from the Korean War, the Pentagon said yesterday.
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> The deal was struck Saturday after three days of talks in Bangkok
between North Korean Col. Gen. Li Chan-bok and an American delegation led by
Jerry Jennings, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for POW-MIA
affairs, said Mr. Jennings' spokesman, Larry Greer.
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> The $2.1 million is reimbursement for services provided by the North
Korean government, including the provision of aircraft for any medical
evacuation of U.S. search personnel, Mr. Greer said.
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> The sides agreed that the Americans would conduct two searches, each
for a month's duration, at two sites: in the vicinity of the Chongchon
River, north of Pyongyang, and in the Chosin Reservoir area, scene of some
of the most savage fighting of the war in late November and early December
1950.
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> The first effort, which would include excavation and repatriation to
the United States of any remains found, is to be conducted Aug. 23 to Sept.
23; the second, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 28.
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> The United States had wanted to get an earlier start, but talks on
arrangements broke off after North Korea revealed to a State Department
envoy last October that it has a nuclear-weapons program.
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> Several days after that revelation became public, North Korea accused
the United States of pursuing a hostile policy that "seriously impedes the
exhumation of remains of the war dead, including the investigation and
confirmation of the burial places."
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> More than 8,000 U.S. servicemen are listed as unaccounted for from
the Korean War, which ended 50 years ago this month.
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> North Korea for the first time allowed U.S. forensic experts to
search for remains in 1996. Since then, there have been 25 recovery
operations on North Korean territory, resulting in the recovery of 178 sets
of remains believed to be those of American servicemen. Of the 178, only 14
have been positively identified as American.
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> Last year, three recovery operations resulted in the recovery of 26
sets of remains. That compares with 45 recovered in 2001 and 65 in 2000.
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> Mr. Greer said that in addition to working out arrangements for
excavations at battlefield sites, the American delegation in Bangkok
repeated its request for access to four American servicemen who the Army
says deserted their U.S. units in South Korea in the 1960s and are living in
North Korea.
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> In the past, the North Koreans have said the four do not want to talk
to U.S. authorities, and no agreement was reached during last week's talks,
Mr. Greer said.
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> This article was mailed from The Washington Times
(http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030714-105631-6181r.htm)
> For more great articles, visit us at http://www.washingtontimes.com
>
> Copyright (c) 2003 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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