RI to send envoy to N. Korea

RI to send envoy to N. Korea

JAKARTA: Indonesia intends to send an envoy to North Korea to try to ease the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Thursday.

"The President has decided to send an envoy to Pyongyang for the nuclear problem. Our position is clear that tension over the nuclear issue needs to be resolved through dialog," Hassan told the House of Representatives without mentioning the name of the envoy or the timing of the visit.

President Megawati Soekarnoputri visited North Korea and met supreme leader Kim Jong-il last year. She then called on North Korea to open dialog with the South, saying peace on the Korean peninsula was important for the Asia-Pacific region.

The two leaders have known each other since 1965 when their respective fathers were friends. President Sukarno, Indonesia's founding leader, and Kim Il-sung were both leading figures in the Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries. --Reuters