Megawati helping bridge the gap between Pyongyang and Seoul

Megawati helping bridge the gap between Pyongyang and Seoul

Susanto Pudjomartono, The Jakarta Post, Seoul

President Megawati Soekarnoputri received praise from South
Korean President Kim Dae-jung upon her arrival on Saturday as she
brought with her an encouraging message from Pyongyang on the
possible resumption of talks in the peninsula.

Megawati, fresh from a two-day stay in Pyongyang, said North
Korean President Kim Jong-il responded "positively" to Seoul's
call for the resumption of dialog between the two countries,
which were separated in 1948.

"I conveyed President Kim Dae-jung's message, which received a
positive response from Chairman Kim Jong-il," Megawati told a
joint press conference after bilateral talks with Kim Dae-jung.

"He (Kim Jong-il) conveyed his warm regards to Kim Dae-jung
and said he was eager to immediately realize agreements that were
already reached in the previous talks."

The Indonesian president used the opportunity of her Pyongyang
visit to urge North Korea to resume full dialog with South Korea
and the United States after a stalemate since last year, while
renewing the cordial relationship between Indonesia and the
communist country. She met with the North Korean leader on
Friday.

President Kim Dae-jung, in the same press conference on
Saturday, lauded Megawati for her effort and vowed to continue
the peace dialog, which had been affected by the terrorist
attacks on the United States last year.

"I expect South-North Korea relations to make a breakthrough
at an early date, thanks to President Megawati's devoted
cooperation and support," he said.

Megawati reiterated her government's full support for the
dialog between the two Koreas for the sake of peace and welfare
of people across the world.

North Korea had already agreed to accept a visit from a South
Korean presidential envoy next week. The envoy's mission is to
revive the stalled reconciliation between the two states.

U.S.-North Korea relations warmed considerably in the final
months of former U.S. president Bill Clinton's administration.
Clinton's secretary of state Madeleine Albright visited North
Korea in October, 2000, and held talks with Kim Jong-il.

But U.S.-North Korea relations suffered after President George
W. Bush took office. Bush labeled North Korea in January as a
part of "an axis of evil"; nations that have ambitions to develop
weapons of mass destruction. Bush later offered to start
unconditional talks with North Korea, but Pyongyang rejected the
offer.

On bilateral issues, South Korean reaffirmed its support for
Indonesia in handling its economic difficulties.

After the bilateral talks, Megawati and Kim Dae-jung witnessed
the signing of a memorandum of understanding on legal cooperation
in criminal cases related to mining and energy industries.

The memorandum was signed by Indonesian foreign minister
Hassan Wirayuda and his counterpart Choi Sung-hong at the South
Korean Presidential Palace, the Blue House.

Seoul is the second largest importer of Indonesian gas after
Japan and also Indonesia's fourth largest trading partner. Trade
between Indonesia and South Korea reaches an average of US$8
billion per year.

In the business luncheon with the South Korean business
community later in the day, Megawati called on the businesspeople
to invest in Indonesia now that security had been restored in the
country.

Megawati told the floor that her government had set a target
of settling all political and security issues in the year 2002.

Data in 2000 revealed that South Korean investment in
Indonesia totaled $10 billion.

The visit to South Korea was the third stop in Megawati's 12-
day trip, which will end in India next week.