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)