N. Korea makes overtures to RP

N. Korea makes overtures to RP

MANILA (AFP): North Korea is renewing its bid to establish
diplomatic relations with the Philippines, Filipino Foreign
Secretary Domingo Siazon said on Monday.

He told reporters he met with North Korean Foreign Minister
Paek Nam Sun at the United Nations last week. "He suggested that
maybe we could establish relations. I told him I will consult
with members of Congress about this upon arrival in Manila,"
Siazon said.

Manila is the only Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) member not to have direct ties with Pyongyang, which has
been lobbying for diplomatic recognition since 1975 when Manila
established diplomatic ties with North Korea's ally China in
1975.

However, Philippine response has been dominated by security
considerations. Defense officials previously believed Pyongyang
had been supporting communist guerrillas here and Manila is also
wary at North Korean ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.