RI sends condolences to N. Korea

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas have joined world leaders in sending messages of condolences and sympathy to the people and government of North Korea over the death of President Kim Il-sung.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday announced that it received confirmation on the death of President Kim Il-sung, 82, who died of a heart attack on Friday.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, information, defense and security, Aisyah Aminy, was quoted by Antara as saying that she hoped the death of the North Korean leader would not have any effect on plans to hold summit meetings between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the U.S.

"We express our condolences over the death of the North Korean leader but what is just as important is that the scheduled summits, which are expected to bring peace to the region, will not cease with the death of President Kim," she said.

Kim was considered to be the world's last hard-line Stalinist leaders. His death came amidst an international deadlock over suspicions that the North was developing nuclear weapons, and less than three weeks before he was to meet with South Korean President Kim Young-sam at a historic inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.

As the current leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, of which North Korea is a member, Indonesia has repeatedly called for dialogs between the parties involved.

Indonesia has encouraged talks between North and South Korea, between North Korea and the U.S. and between North Korea and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). (pwn)