SEOUL, South Korea, April 27 (UPI) — North and South Korea began high-level talks Sunday to discuss their stalled reconciliation process, but the meeting was overshadowed by nuclear tensions that have reached their highest level after Pyongyang’s reported admission that it has nuclear weapons.

The three-day talks in the North’s capital city come just two days after a senior U.S. official said North Korea claimed in last week’s talks in Beijing to have atomic weapons that it might test, sell or use.

In a keynote address at the Cabinet-level talks, the chief South Korean negotiator, Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun urged North Korea to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons, describing them as a “grave threat” to peace on the peninsula.

If North Korea’s nuclear weapons claim is true, it constitutes a serious violation of a 1992 inter-Korean declaration on denuclearization of the peninsula, Jeong was quoted as saying by officials here. Under the joint declaration, the two Koreas pledged not to test, produce, receive, store, deploy or use nuclear arms.

South Korean officials said they would make all-out efforts during this week’s negotiations to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Before leaving for Pyongyang earlier Sunday, Jeong said he would use the meeting to “convey our firm stance that it is unacceptable for North Korea to have nuclear weapons” and urge the North to “shift its policies” on the nuclear dispute.

The Pyongyang meeting was the first round of ministerial talks under new South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who took office in February with a pledge to push for unconditional reconciliation with the North.

“The (Seoul) government is also considering using economic aid as a leverage against the North on the nuclear issue,” a Unification Ministry official told United Press International on condition of anonymity. Shortly ahead of the talks, South Korea announced plans to donate corn and medicine to the hunger-stricken North.

But North Korea repeated that it would not halt its nuclear efforts unless the United States signs a non-aggression treaty, a proposal already rejected by Washington.

Kim Ryong Song, the chief North Korean delegate, just said his country was ready to discuss the nuclear issue with the United State, with no mention about Seoul’s call for nuclear denunciation.

Pyongyang’s communist party newspaper said it was “childish and illogical” for the United States to demand an end to the nuclear program without concluding a non-aggression pact in return.

“In the United States recently, there is laughable talk that even if we abandon our ‘nuclear program’ they cannot provide regime guarantees or compensation,” the Rodong Sinmun said. If Washington pressed demands on Pyongyang without addressing North Korean concerns, “the nuclear problem can hardly be resolved,” it said.

North Korea also said it had been determined to arm itself with “a physical means of deterrence” because the United States refuses to sign a non-aggression treaty.

But there are still some signs of a peaceful resolution to the nuclear crisis as Seoul’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that North Korea made a “bold” proposal to resolve the nuclear crisis at last week’s talks with Washington, with no details.

North Korea’s media said Pyongyang had put forward a “bold” new proposal at last week’s talks in Beijing, but had heard nothing new from Washington. “We are discussing over the North’s proposal,” said a ministry official who requested anonymity.

The inter-Korean ministerial talks, the 10th round this week, has been the highest level dialogue channel between the two to review their reconciliation efforts and discuss cooperation projects under the historic agreement reached at the summit of the their leaders in 2000.

The Korean reconciliation process has also been hampered by fears of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which has caused panic in many parts of Southeast Asia.

North Korea has suspended an inter-Korean tour project to the North’s mountain resort, citing fears of SARS. There have been no confirmed cases of SARS either in South Korea or North Korea.

When a 38-member South Korean delegation to the Cabinet-level talks arrived in a Pyongyang airport Sunday, North Korean quarantine officers checked the visitors’ temperatures as part of efforts to prevent SARS.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) — Although the Chinese government now appears to be cooperating with international officials to control its outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the World Health Organization said Tuesday it still has concerns some of China’s provinces might not be equipped to deal with the disease.

China reported 339 previously undisclosed SARS cases in Beijing over the weekend after WHO officials accused the government of covering up the extent of the outbreak. Also, the minister of health and the mayor of Beijing were fired for their role in downplaying the number of SARS cases.

“Very clearly, China is now really ready and opening up on SARS,” Dr. Henk Bekedam, the WHO’s chief representative in the country, said during a teleconference from Beijing. “But at the same time we are also quite concerned about the other provinces,” he added. The main areas of concern are the “poorer provinces,” because they have fewer resources and “the public health system has collapsed over the last 20 years” because the government has not adequately funded it, he said. China’s poorer areas typically are its 12 western provinces, he said.

There have been indications of cases in some of those provinces, including western Guangxi, northern Gansu and Inner Mongolia. The disease also might have spread to several other provinces, such as Shanxi, Henan and Ningxia.

Bekedam said he “very clearly mentioned” to Chinese officials the central government needs to provide “sufficient human and financial support” to these provinces to help them contain SARS.

The government has said it is sending teams to all the provinces to help them deal with SARS. Also, the government has authorized the hiring of 2,500 people to monitor those infected and trace their contacts.

WHO officials are working closely with the government “to see how we can support China in dealing with SARS,” Bekedam said. “If China is not dealing with SARS, it will be very problematic to deal with globally,” he added.

China, where the disease is thought to have originated in November, has the largest number of SARS cases of any country affected by the disease. Of the 3,947 cases reported worldwide so far, more than half have occurred in China. To date, 482 of the Chinese cases have occurred in Beijing. Officials reported six new deaths from the disease Tuesday and 42 new cases, bringing China’s total to 92 SARS-related fatalities and 2,001 infections.

Bekedam said it still is possible the SARS situation in China could be contained but there is definite concern about whether the country will be successful in that effort.

“It will take longer in China than in many other countries where the health system is stronger,” he said.

Officials also are wary because they know that a few cases could start an outbreak, he said.

All hospitals in China, including the military hospitals — which were not reporting SARS cases before — now are reporting cases of the disease to the WHO, Bekedam said, adding it will be a “few weeks before we understand the extent of the outbreak in Beijing.”

About 229 people have died from SARS worldwide, and the current figures indicate the disease could be slightly more fatal than previously thought, Bekedam said.

Health officials from certain countries are reviewing the current cases and deaths from the disease and it appears the fatality rate might be around 5 percent, rather than 4 percent as previously reported, he said.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaking during a separate teleconference from Atlanta, said the calculated fatality rate actually is about 5.9 percent.

“You may see the mortality rate go up as we go forward,” Gerberding added. That will be due in part to a more precise definition for a SARS case rather than the disease getting more virulent, she explained.

A tighter definition will eliminate some suspected cases, which will yield fewer cases overall, so the percentage rate of deaths could increase, assuming all are due to SARS, she said.

The number of cases in the United States to date are 39 with no reported deaths. But Gerberding urged healthcare workers to remain vigilant and continue to identify and isolate cases quickly in order to keep the disease from spreading.

“We don’t know the reasons that we’ve been lucky so far,” she said, “but we’re not taking any chances and we need to work hard to isolate cases when they present.”

Gerberding noted the CDC plans to begin distributing cards warning about SARS at land entries at the U.S. northern border, where travelers might be coming into the country after visiting Toronto, Canada.

Toronto has struggled to control the disease and Canadian officials reported seven more cases Tuesday, bringing the country’s total to 139 people infected and 13 deaths.

The CDC previously had been distributing SARS warning cards at airports to travelers arriving in the United States after having been to areas with a high prevalence of the disease, such as some of the Asian countries. But distributing the cards at land-entry points is something new and Gerberding said it will take some time before the effort becomes fully operational.

CDC officials will focus on two major bridges running from Detroit and Buffalo into Canada and two other smaller thoroughfares. These four roadways are where most land-based travelers from the Toronto area enter the United States, she noted.

Hong Kong continued to be hard-hit by SARS, reporting five more deaths and 32 new cases, bringing its tally to 1,434 cases and 99 deaths — the most of any country.

Singapore’s total stood at 186 cases and 16 deaths Tuesday after it quarantined hundreds of employees of a fruit and vegetable stand after three cases of SARS were seen in workers there. To date, as many as 22 people might have become infected due to the outbreak at the market.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

“Suzanne Gelb Image”

”Religion – What is it?”

Dear Dr. Gelb:

I’m searching for religion and I’m tired of searching. I like what you write about in your column and wanted to know your thoughts on religion and “what is it”?

Searching

Dear Searching:

In my opinion, religious type of instruction and guidance usually has its origins in the family where the adults or parents instill a faith about religion and there is a tendency to grow with it. I have studied several religions as part of my own personal quest and have found what is comfortable for me. To me, religion is a belief that people nurture to protect and serve their spirit or soul in an attempt to stay in touch with their Creator. Not claiming expertise in this area, that is about the best explanation I can offer. It works for me.

”Vulnerable – How to be Assertive?”

Dear Dr. Gelb:

I think I need therapy so I can be more assertive, but I’m worried the therapist will tell me what to do and I won’t be able to say no because I am not assertive — there’s a catch 22 because I want to go to counseling to learn to be assertive, but I think I need to be a bit assertive in counseling so I am not so gullible. How do I stop this merry-go-round?

Gullible

Dear Gullible:

I do not believe that a therapist’s responsibility includes dictating behavior or restructuring someone’s frame of reference. In my opinion, the provider’s task includes helping people find their inner authority (self-confidence) so that they can establish self-love, self-worth, and self-respect and as a result make rational decisions and stand by their choices of behavior.

”’Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.”’

”’This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see”’ “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says”

”’Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com

“Malia Lt Blue top Image”

“This Sucks.” These were the most down-to-earth words summing up what happened late Friday night at the Hawaii State Capitol on the Senate floor.

The heartfelt statement came from Sen. Bob Hogue, R-Kaneohe, who was extremely emotional after the Senate Democrat majority voted down two of the governor’s best-qualified nominees for the University of Hawaii Board of Regents for no legitimate reason, rather because of petty politics. Senate President Robert Bunda, D-North Shore, called Hogue out of order.

But Hogue’s statement resounded with many in the Senate gallery, on the Senate floor and in the community. That is because the Senate Democrat majority, who in the case of both governor’s nominees, Shelton Jim On and Ed Sultan, voted 14 to 11 not to confirm, without any logical reason for their actions or any hard evidence there was just cause to vote against them.

Many of the Democrats in the Senate described during the two-hour debate during the nearly 5-hour night session, their “feelings” about the candidates, rather than offering substantive reasons.

The only Democrat Senator who voted against all six of the governor’s Regent nominees without making it personal or political was Sen. Russell Kokubun, D-Big Island. Kokubun, before the voting began, announced he was consistently going to vote no on all candidates to protest the fact that the governor did not nominate anyone from the island he represents, which houses a branch of the University of Hawaii campus.

In the case of Shelton Jim On, an attorney and CPA, Senate Vice President Donna Kim and Sen. Education Chair Norman Sakamoto claimed a single email, which they showed to Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings after removing the name of the individual who sent it, contributed to their decision. Kim later said the person who sent the email was prominent local attorney Jim Bickerton, though she did not disclose the content of the email or the nature of his complaints. Republicans called the email scurrilous, anonymous and not worth the paper it was printed on, and emphasized On should be allowed to respond to any legitimate concerns his appointment.

Kim also purported to have received calls from people in the community opposed to On, including one call she shared with Sakamoto who just happened to come to her office during one of the calls, but they would not share that information publicly. That is with the exception of one call Kim says was from an alleged prominent Republican involved with the governor’s campaign. Interestingly, neither the governor, her top advisors, or any of the many Republicans sitting in the gallery during the Senate debate knew of this person — Jim Marn of McCully Shopping Center –

The financial pinch is not only affecting the state, but the counties as well where benign neglect over the years has put county officials in a bind similar to the one with which their state counterparts are now dealing — too much spending and not enough revenues.

While the reasons for this dilemma differ from county to county, all counties are faced with the same challenge of not having enough resources to fund all the programs on their plate. Ah, but that’s the problem, too many programs to spend on and not enough money. Same problem the state faces.

Unfortunately, county councils usually decide how much they want to spend first, then the painful part comes later when they have to raise the property tax to accommodate that spending. Thus, the disconnect between meeting wants and asking taxpayers to pay for those wants occurs each year.

The various constituents of the “wants” march down to city hall or the county building demanding their favorite program or service not be cut or if it is cut it will mean the end of the world.

So the county acquiesces to each demand not wanting to offend any constituency and at the end of the day they realize, they have one heck of a whopping amount of funds that need to be appropriated.

Herein lies the problem, because county officials want to be a friend of all and an enemy of none, they lack the ability to say no to a project.

However, by not having the ability to say no to any one program constituent, they are jeopardizing their relationship with the person who has to foot the bill, the taxpayer.

And in many cases those who ask for full funding of programs are the very same taxpayers who decry increases in the real property tax rate.

So what can elected officials do?

It seems that elected officials need to equate the cost of appropriating the funds for a program and service and what that funding will mean as far as an increase in the real property tax rate.

Of course, there are certainly legitimate functions for which the real property tax is the justifiable means of financing. These programs or services are those which are considered core functions of the county. These services make up the mission statement of the county.

What are core functions? They are public safety, police and fire protection, health and sanitation. In local lingo, it is “make sure no one breaks in my house, make sure my house no burn down, my toilet flushes and pick up my garbage.” Everything beyond that is pure frosting on the cake. These are the functions that should be funded out of the real property tax and not be an afterthought after the property tax is used for something else.

This is the case in the City & County of Honolulu where the administration is suggesting cutting back on garbage pick up and charging a monthly fee if a family wants more than once-a-week garbage collection.

All these years the people of Honolulu have enjoyed twice a week garbage collection paid from property tax collections. Now the administration wants to charge $8 a month for those who want the second weekly pick up.

The irony is that the same administration has berated the Council for proposing to cut the city’s office of economic development’s popular “brunch on the beach” programs.

The administration argues that it is important for the city to promote Honolulu as a place to do business so that jobs can be created. The problem with that is that the state is already doing that, promoting Hawaii as a place to do business.

Is this a duplication of services or is this a duplication of services? And are real property taxpayers being asked to pay for this promotion program out of property taxes that used to pay for twice-a-week garbage pick up?

If the city administration of Honolulu wanted to make Honolulu a more attractive place to do business, they could do it without spending a dime. In fact, they just might have to spend less as one of the major criticisms is that it takes so long to get approvals for projects that it even prompted one state legislator to try and pass a bill to override all of the city approval requirements so a new medical center could be built in central Oahu.

So what’s the point? County officials need to go back and examine what are the core functions that have been mandated of the county. They should fund those programs out of their real property tax, and if there is any money left over, perhaps consideration can be given to some of the frosting programs.

Local officials need to learn how to say no to spending that is not a core function of county government if they don’t want to raise real property taxes.

”’Lowell L. Kalapa is the president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, a private, non-profit educational organization. For more information, please call 536-4587 or log on to”’ https://www.tfhawaii.org