Informal North Korean talks possible in Jakarta: Report<\/p>\n
Reuters, Tokyo<\/p>\n
North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun will attend a meeting
\nof an Asian regional forum next month in Jakarta, where he may
\ntake part in informal six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear
\nprograms, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told the Japanese
\nnewspaper he had issued an invitation to Paek to take part in a
\nmeeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) during a visit to
\nPyongyang earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is currently chairing the 23-member group.<\/p>\n
An Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial
\nmeeting and the ARF meeting are to be held in Jakarta from June
\n29 through July 2.<\/p>\n
Hassan was quoted as saying he had told Paek that he would try
\nto arrange for officials from the countries concerned to get
\ntogether for an informal meeting on North Korea's nuclear
\nprograms and that the North had accepted the invitation.<\/p>\n
Working-level talks on North Korea's nuclear programs are due
\nto be held in Beijing on May 12. The six countries involved are
\nChina, Russia, the United States, Japan and the two Koreas.<\/p>\n
When the six met in Beijing in February, they agreed to hold
\nanother round of negotiations by the end of June and lower-level
\n\"working group\" talks before that.<\/p>\n
Two rounds of top-level talks have been held but no real
\nprogress has been made toward the U.S. goal of the \"complete,
\nverifiable and irreversible\" dismantling of Pyongyang's nuclear
\ncapabilities.<\/p>\n
In a separate development, the South Korean unification
\nminister said on Friday North and South Korean generals will meet
\nsoon for their first talks on easing tensions at the world's last
\nCold War frontier.<\/p>\n
Jeong Se-hyun, briefing reporters after returning from three
\ndays of talks in Pyongyang, said the two sides had agreed to the
\ntalks after the powerful North Korean military approved the idea.<\/p>\n
Asked when the talks would take place, Jeong quoted the North
\nKorean chief delegate as saying, \"It will be soon\" and \"You won't
\nhave to wait long.\"<\/p>",
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