Indonesia offers to facilitate dialog of North, South Korea

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri disclosed on Saturday that Indonesia had offered both South Korea and North Korea help to end the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Saturday, Megawati said she had sent her special envoy, Nana Sutresna, to both countries to convey her message.

"We have sent a special envoy to Seoul and Pyongyang. Should both governments agree we are ready to broker talks to end the crisis," Megawati said.

Tension is increasing as the United States increases its threats against Pyongyang. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said last week that North Korea would have six atomic weapons later this year.

Describing the condition as "a very serious situation," Rumsfeld called on the Asian region to be alert. Washington is gearing up to attack Iraq based on similar accusations of having weapons of mass destruction.

The U.S. accusations has fueled the already strained situation after Pyongyang pulled out of the UN nuclear treaty early this year.

At a press conference with Howard, Megawati said dialog was the best measure to end the nuclear crisis on the peninsula.

"We believe that through dialog we can end the crisis on the peninsula and of course we will share the information we have from both sides with the United States government."

Megawati's special envoy Nana Sutresna arrived in North Korea last week and held talks with Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun in Pyongyang to help defuse the crisis.

The veteran diplomat also held meetings with North Korea's second highest official Kim Yong-nam before traveling to South Korea to meet South Korean foreign minister Choi Sung-hong.

Nana, a former Indonesian envoy to Britain, presented the proposal to both North Korean and South Korean foreign ministers to facilitate dialog. However, both countries have not given an official response.

Indonesia has friendly ties with both Koreas as Megawati has personal relations with the leaders of two countries.

South Korea is a major investor while relations with North Korea date back to 1964 when Megawati's father, the late president Sukarno, visited Pyongyang.

Megawati herself assumed the role of peace messenger when she visited both Pyongyang and Seoul in March last year, urging both countries to resume talks.