SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- South Korea and the United States concluded a two-day military talks on Friday with initialing a series of agreements on the relocation of US Forces Korea (USFK).

    The two sides initialed an Umbrella Agreement (UA) and its Implementing Agreement (IA) that will serve as the legal system for the transfer of the USFK's headquarters -- the Yongsan Garrison -- in Seoul at the end of the 11th round of Future of the Alliance (FOTA).

    They also initialed an amendment to the Land Partnership Plan (LPP) that moves up the timing of the transfer of major US military installations across the Asian country, according to a news release of South Korean Defense Ministry.

    The UA and IA will legally go into effect after they are signedby presidents of the two countries and ratified by the National Assembly.

    In previous round of FOTA talks, the two sides agreed to relocate Yongsan base to Pyeongtaek, some 70 kilometers south to Seoul, by 2008.

    But, the two sides did not make any agreement on the US proposed troop reduction issue.

    Washington informed Seoul in June about its plan to reduce one-third, or 12,500, of the total 37,500 USFK by the end of 2005.

    Moreover, US President George W. Bush announced Monday that some 60,000 to 70,000 US troops deployed in foreign countries willbe retreated to home in the coming years under the new security circumstance.

    Earlier Friday, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld telephonedhis South Korean counterpart, Yoon Kwang-ung, to call for "joint efforts" to strengthen the alliance.

    "Rumsfeld told Yoon he hopes these talks would go well so that (the troop reduction) would be implemented as scheduled," said Brig. Gen. Nam Dae-yeon, a spokesman at the Defense Ministry.

    In the two-day meeting, South Korea reportedly asked the US side to delay the withdrawal of certain key units and core equipment, like Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS) and Apache attack helicopters until the end of 2006, at least one year later than the initial US request.

    The two delegation agreed to further discuss the troop cut issue in next round FOTA talks and preparation consultations for the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) to be held on Oct. 22 in Washington, said the release.

    Rumsfeld and Yoon will attend the 36th round of SCM at that time.

    US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Richard Lawless and Ahn Kwang-chan, an assistant defense minister in charge of policy respectively led the two teams to the FOTA meeting. Enditem