South Korea, North Korea to meet to discuss nuclear issue, boost ties

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon will try to make further progress in improving relations with North Korea and finding a solution to the nuclear crisis, by meeting his North Korean counterpart Paek Nam-sun on the sidelines of the 11th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Thursday afternoon at J.W. Marriott Hotel, South Jakarta.

Ban said in an interview with The Jakarta Post here on Wednesday that he would encourage his counterpart to reevaluate North Korea's nuclear program for the benefit of the international community.

"It is not that nuclear weapons hold much benefit for North Korea," he said while adding that international recognition would not rest merely on a country's nuclear weapons capability.

Ban said that the both the countries have made significant progress in their relations.

He also said that the two Koreas would discuss further cooperation in other international fora.

"There are many other important and global issues where both South and North Korea can cooperate for greater benefit as well as for the benefit of the international community," he said.

Ban said that Thursday's bilateral meeting with Paek was their first encounter with each other since the former was appointed foreign minister about five months ago. The first contact between the two Koreas' foreign ministers took place in Bangkok in July 2000.

The six-nation talks involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan in Beijing last week collapsed after North Korea hinted that there were elements in Pyongyang who wanted to test a nuclear bomb.

AFP reported on Wednesday that Paek welcomed suggestions to meet U.S. Foreign Minister Colin Powell on the sidelines of the Forum. Powell is expected to arrive on Thursday.

"We have no plans to meet Colin Powell on the part of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), but if there is a proposal from the U.S. side to meet with my minister, then my minister is ready to talk with Colin Powell," Chung Sung-il, the deputy director of North Korea's foreign ministry's international organizations, was quoted as saying.

He said that there was no plan to meet with the six nations in Jakarta this week.

The six nations have agreed to have a fourth round of talks in Beijing in September.

Japanese foreign minister Yoriko Kawaguchi has also expressed interest to meet with her North Korean counterpart.

Meanwhile, Minister Ban said the annual ARF forum had greatly helped the two Koreas because they could meet regularly in the forum.

"ARF is very important as the only security forum in this area (Asia)... this is the only forum where we have the unique opportunity of having bilateral meetings of the two Korean ministers at a senior level," he said.