Hassan to visit China, North Korea, South Korea

Hassan to visit China, North Korea, South Korea

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda is slated to visit
the People's Republic of China, North Korea and South Korea
between April 25 and May 4 to discuss bilateral and regional
issues relating to the Korean peninsula.

Foreign ministry spokesman Marty A. Natalegawa announced that
Hassan would discuss the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula
with the three countries.

"We want to encourage North Korea to continue what it has been
doing, namely to engage itself in the six-party talks, something
which we have supported," Marty said on Friday.

The six parties are North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan,
the United States and Russia.

Indonesia has devoted a lot of attention to the North Korea
issue. Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri has sent a
special envoy, Nana Sutresna, to the country to find ways of
supporting a peaceful settlement to the possible flashpoint
issue.

Marty said that during the China leg of the trip, Hassan would
attend the 60th ministerial level meeting of the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-
ESCAP) in Shanghai.

The minister is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Li
Zhaoxing to discuss efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between
the two countries.

Hassan will pay a courtesy call on Chinese Vice President Zeng
Qinghong.

In North Korea, Hassan will also discuss bilateral issues with
his North Korean counterpart Paek Nam Sun.

Hassan is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call to North
Korean President Kim Young Nam.

Indonesia has friendly ties with both Koreas. South Korea is a
major investor while relations with North Korea date back to a
visit by Megawati's father, president Sukarno, to Pyongyang in
1964.

Marty said that in the working visit to South Korea on May 5
and May 6, Hassan would meet South Korean acting president Goh
Kun.

The minister will also hold bilateral talks with South Korea's
Foreign and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moo.

In each countries Hassan is also slated to meet with members
of the expatriate Indonesian communities.

Hassan attended an emergency meeting of the Organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Malaysia on Thursday, a day after
his return from Ireland where he participated in the Asia Europe
Meeting (ASEM).