Kim Il-sung solicits Indonesian support

Kim Il-sung solicits Indonesian support

JAKARTA (JP): North Korean President Kim Il-sung yesterday
sought the support of Indonesia and the 110-nation Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) in the rising feud between Pyongyang on one side
and the United States and South Korea on the other.

The request was made in a letter presented by his special
envoy Kim Chang-gyu to President Soeharto, who is also the NAM
chairman, at Bina Graha presidential office.

Tensions have been escalating on the Korean peninsula in
recent weeks as North Korea continues to defy U.S. pressure to
allow its nuclear facilities to be inspected by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Soeharto told his guest during the meeting that Indonesia did
not wish to interfere in Korea's internal matters, but affirmed
that the issue must be resolved swiftly and peacefully.

Kim Chang-gyu, who is North Korea's deputy foreign minister,
was accompanied by Nana Sutresna, the NAM chairman's chief
executive assistant, during the one-hour meeting.

Neither Nana nor Kim elaborated on exactly what kind of
support Kim Il-sung was seeking from Soeharto.

Indonesia in the past has been cautious not to take sides in
disputes on the Korean peninsula, and has always stated that the
problem should be solved peacefully and not through the use of
force.

Soeharto, in his capacity as NAM chairman, sent Nana to
Pyongyang last year in search of a solution to the crisis.

North Korea is a member of NAM while South Korea is a major
trading partner of Indonesia and an important source of
investment.

Abstain

Last month, Indonesia was one of the few countries that
abstained during a vote at the IAEA for a resolution to hand the
nuclear dispute over to the UN Security Council, which is
dominated by Washington.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas explained at the time
that Indonesia found the resolution overly harsh and that there
were alternative ways of investigating the accusations against
North Korea.

Nana Sutresna yesterday said Indonesia's interest in the
matter stemmed from a declaration at the NAM Summit in Jakarta in
1992 which underlined the Movement's support for the
reunification and demobilization of the Korean peninsula.

"They (North Korea) indicated to President Soeharto their
willingness to comply with the arrangements they have reached
with the U.S.," said Nana.

Commenting on the current impasse centering on the inspection
of North Korea's nuclear facilities, Kim Chang-gyu said his
government was willing to allow IAEA inspections as long as the
U.S. concurrently implemented the promises it had made.

Kim said these promises included canceling U.S-South Korea
joint military maneuvers and continuing reconciliation talks
between the two Koreas.

North Korea maintains that one of the obstacles to a
successful conclusion to the issue is the continued recalcitrance
of the U.S. in adhering to its agreements.

Kim, who arrived on Friday, returned to Pyongyang after his
meeting with Soeharto. (07)