Mega to push for dialog on Korean issue

Mega to push for dialog on Korean issue

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur

Indonesia insisted on Friday that North Korea resume dialogs with
the United States and South Korea in a bid to end the nuclear
stalemate on the Korean Peninsula.

Indonesian foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda, on the sidelines
of the Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
said the forum would be a good opportunity for Jakarta and
Pyongyang to talk.

"We have the situation worsening on the Korean peninsula with
the U.S. pressing for a settlement through the United Nations
Security Council, while Pyongyang is insisting on bilateral
dialog," Hassan said.

"We expect there will be more creative measures that could
help the two sides end the feud."

Indonesia, Hassan said, hoped the Korean issue would not
increase tension in the world following the crisis in Iraq. The
U.S. has accused both Baghdad and Pyongyang of possessing weapons
of mass destruction.

"We are concerned more about the Korean problem, as we are
talking about nuclear and not biological or chemical weapons as
it is in Iraq," Hassan said.

Indonesia has taken the leading role among Asian countries in
finding a peaceful solution to the Korean issue, with President
Megawati Soekarnoputri once serving as a peace messenger between
Seoul to Pyongyang during her visit to both countries in March
last year.

Both North and South Korea have close relations with
Indonesia. Seoul is the second largest investor in Indonesia,
while Pyongyang has strong traditional ties with Jakarta since
the visit of founding president Sukarno, Megawati's father, to
the communist country in 1964.

Megawati had offered to facilitate a dialog between the two
Koreas through her special envoy Nana Sutresna, who visited the
countries early this month. However, no official response has
been given by either country.

On the sidelines of the NAM summit, which will start on
Monday, Megawati is slated to hold bilateral talks with a North
Korean delegation on Sunday, upon her arrival here.

"At the meeting the President hopes to hear the response from
North Korea regarding our offer and to hear the latest
developments on the peninsula," Hassan said.

The minister underlined that Jakarta opposed production of
weapons of mass destruction anywhere in the world, moreover in
Asia.

"We have it very clear that we are against production of any
weapons of mass destruction for whatever reasons," Hassan said.

Megawati will leave Jakarta on Saturday to attend the NAM
summit. The President will stay overnight in Singapore for
personal reasons before continuing the journey to Kuala Lumpur.

Upon arrival on Sunday, she is scheduled to hold bilateral
talks with, among others, with the North Korean delegation,
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad and South African
President Thabo Mbeki.

She is also slated to attend a NAM business forum and meet the
Indonesian community here on Sunday.

The President's husband, Taufik Kiemas, will join the
entourage here on Sunday directly from Jakarta.

On the Iraq issue, Hassan reiterated that it was the moral
obligation of the 114 NAM member countries to support the antiwar
stance and push Iraq to disarm itself according to the UN
resolution No. 1441.

"We should consider that NAM stance as an interaction and
concerted effort of the world, including France, Germany and
Russia to stop Washington's war plan."

He acknowledged that NAM consisted of developing countries
with troubles of their own at home, but as concerted efforts of
the world it would show Washington that it could not invade Iraq
without the world's support.