RI to help unite Koreas in PATA

RI to help unite Koreas in PATA

SEOUL (JP): Indonesia will help unite North and South Korea in
membership of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA),
Indonesian Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop
Ave says.

Joop told reporters here yesterday after the opening ceremony
of PATA's 43rd annual conference that a senior official from
Pyongyang visited him in Jakarta last week to say that North
Korea plans to join PATA.

Joop, who was PATA's chairman-elect, said he promised to
discuss the plan when attending the conference.

He said PATA, which had acknowledged the membership of Taiwan,
succeeded in arranging the admission of China to become its
member in 1991.

"We should be able to make a similar arrangement for the
admission of North Korea," he said.

He said he is scheduled today to hold a meeting with two South
Korean ministers -- Minister of Transportation Oh Myung and
Minister of Telecommunications Yoon Doong-Yoon.

Joop said he would discuss North Korea's interest in joining
PATA with the two ministers. (icn)