Pyongyang Urges Washington to Defuse Hostility

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, August 05, 2002

Pyongyang Urges Washington to Defuse Hostility

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The United States should ease its open hostility towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula, the DPRK Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun said in Brunei on Friday.

"What is important in defusing tensions and ensuring peace on the Korean Peninsula is also to put an end to the hostile policy toward the DPRK and the DPRK-U.S. state of armistice," the Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) quoted Paek as saying at the ministerialmeeting of the 9th Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) Regional Forum.

The United States should take practical steps to remove the danger of war and ensure a durable peace on the peninsula, Paek Nam Sun said.

"If the US hopes for dialogue without preconditions on an equal footing with the DPRK, the latter will respond to it and if then, confidence between them will be built and a prospect for a fair solution to the outstanding issues between them will be opened," Paek added.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell had a 15-minute meeting with Paek Nam Sun on Wednesday, when Powell confirmed the proposedvisit by Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly to Pyongyang soon.

On the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, Paek highlightedthe importance of joint efforts of the Korean nation without the interference of outside forces.

In view of the different social systems and ideologies in the North and South of Korea, he said, it is the only realistic way topromote "co-existence, co-prosperity and common interests" so as to improve bilateral relations and achieve national reunification.

A South Korean delegation today went to Mount. Kumgang for talks with the north side aimed at resuming ministerial meeting ofthe two nations.

The upcoming meeting will be the first since inter-Korean ties deteriorated after Bush labeled North Korea as part of "axis of evil," "target of nuclear attack" and "sponsor of terrorism" earlythis year. The two sides have held six rounds of talks by ministerial officials since their leaders met for the first time in Seoul in November 2000. The last of such meetings were held in Seoul in November.

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