Mega nudges North Korea to resume dialog with South
Susanto Pudjomartono, The Jakarta Post, Pyongyang
President Megawati Soekarnoputri used the extraordinarily warm reception she has received in North Korea to rekindle old ties with Kim Jong-il and to nudge the reclusive state to reengage in dialog with South Korea.
Megawati, who will leave for Seoul on Saturday morning after a two-day stay in Pyongyang, also subtly hinted at Jakarta's readiness to lend a friendly mediating hand if needed.
Aware of the apparent amiable perception Pyongyang has of Jakarta, the Indonesia President deftly played her diplomatic cards.
She veered as far away as possible from appearing too eager to push the publicly hyped agenda of getting North Korea back into a dialog with the South, and instead dropped subtle hints about the importance of dialog.
Such was the reception given to her that officials here on Friday broke diplomatic tradition when the supreme North Korean leader, as host, "visited" Megawati, who is supposed to be the guest at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse.
Without explanation, the meeting between Megawati and Kim Jong-il also saw major changes. Originally due to be a half-hour meeting involving several ministers, the two leaders held a private hour-long talk accompanied only by two interpreters.
Absolutely no details of the meeting were divulged, however it is known that Megawati arrived in North Korea with a special message, from both South Korea and the United States, to encourage Pyongyang to reengage in peace talks and the possible reunification of the peninsula.
Apart from high politics, the two leaders also may have been catching up on old times and swapping notes as the ruling offspring of revolutionary leaders.
The two last officially met as teenagers, during meetings between their fathers Sukarno and Kim Il-sung some four decades ago.
Earlier on Thursday night, during a dinner hosted by Kim Jong- nam, the head of North Korea's Presidium, or parliament, Megawati infused a strong political message into her address.
"As a friend, I wish to sincerely encourage your excellencies to further dialog ... to explore issues of common interest," she said.
She remarked that "in dialog there are always opportunities, no matter how delicate the issue".
With little clamor she also suggested that "as brothers and sisters", Indonesia is happy to offer its "good offices" to North Korea.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, before leaving for Pyongyang, said Indonesia and other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) would engage in "positive and constructive engagement" to bring an isolated North Korea back into the international community.
Megawati also lauded on Thursday night Pyongyang's continued contribution to the ASEAN Regional Forum security dialog.
In a light moment on Friday between Megawati and Kim Jong-il, the latter asked why the gift of a painting he had just received had two Balinese dancing girls, while a painting given to Kim Jong-nam's earlier in the day only portrayed one girl.
Megawati said that "it's to show more respect to you".
Megawati's visit to Pyongyang is the second leg of a four-na tion tour that also includes China, South Korea and India.