Kim Il-sung solicits Indonesian support<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): North Korean President Kim Il-sung yesterday
\nsought the support of Indonesia and the 110-nation Non-Aligned
\nMovement (NAM) in the rising feud between Pyongyang on one side
\nand the United States and South Korea on the other.<\/p>\n
The request was made in a letter presented by his special
\nenvoy Kim Chang-gyu to President Soeharto, who is also the NAM
\nchairman, at Bina Graha presidential office.<\/p>\n
Tensions have been escalating on the Korean peninsula in
\nrecent weeks as North Korea continues to defy U.S. pressure to
\nallow its nuclear facilities to be inspected by the International
\nAtomic Energy Agency (IAEA).<\/p>\n
Soeharto told his guest during the meeting that Indonesia did
\nnot wish to interfere in Korea's internal matters, but affirmed
\nthat the issue must be resolved swiftly and peacefully.<\/p>\n
Kim Chang-gyu, who is North Korea's deputy foreign minister,
\nwas accompanied by Nana Sutresna, the NAM chairman's chief
\nexecutive assistant, during the one-hour meeting.<\/p>\n
Neither Nana nor Kim elaborated on exactly what kind of
\nsupport Kim Il-sung was seeking from Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Indonesia in the past has been cautious not to take sides in
\ndisputes on the Korean peninsula, and has always stated that the
\nproblem should be solved peacefully and not through the use of
\nforce.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, in his capacity as NAM chairman, sent Nana to
\nPyongyang last year in search of a solution to the crisis.<\/p>\n
North Korea is a member of NAM while South Korea is a major
\ntrading partner of Indonesia and an important source of
\ninvestment.<\/p>\n
Abstain<\/p>\n
Last month, Indonesia was one of the few countries that
\nabstained during a vote at the IAEA for a resolution to hand the
\nnuclear dispute over to the UN Security Council, which is
\ndominated by Washington.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas explained at the time
\nthat Indonesia found the resolution overly harsh and that there
\nwere alternative ways of investigating the accusations against
\nNorth Korea.<\/p>\n
Nana Sutresna yesterday said Indonesia's interest in the
\nmatter stemmed from a declaration at the NAM Summit in Jakarta in
\n1992 which underlined the Movement's support for the
\nreunification and demobilization of the Korean peninsula.<\/p>\n
\"They (North Korea) indicated to President Soeharto their
\nwillingness to comply with the arrangements they have reached
\nwith the U.S.,\" said Nana.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the current impasse centering on the inspection
\nof North Korea's nuclear facilities, Kim Chang-gyu said his
\ngovernment was willing to allow IAEA inspections as long as the
\nU.S. concurrently implemented the promises it had made.<\/p>\n
Kim said these promises included canceling U.S-South Korea
\njoint military maneuvers and continuing reconciliation talks
\nbetween the two Koreas.<\/p>\n
North Korea maintains that one of the obstacles to a
\nsuccessful conclusion to the issue is the continued recalcitrance
\nof the U.S. in adhering to its agreements.<\/p>\n
Kim, who arrived on Friday, returned to Pyongyang after his
\nmeeting with Soeharto. (07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kim-il-sung-solicits-indonesian-support-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}