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Annan Disappointed at Cancellation of DPRK Trip to New York
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was disappointed at Pyongyang's absence at the United Nations Millennium Summit, his spokesman said Tuesday.
Although the planned meeting at the U.N. between leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will not now take place, the U.N. chief "hopes that the two countries will nonetheless continue to build on the progress achieved thus far towards normalizing relations between them," the spokesman added.
Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, canceled his planned visit to New York to attend the Millennium Summit following an incident at the airport in Frankfort, Germany.
U.S. air security officials there opened suitcases and handbags of each member of the presidential entourage, forced them to take off clothes and shoes and thoroughly searched even the sensitive part of the body, DPRK ambassador to the U.N. Li Hyong Chol told a press conference in New York.
The act constitutes "grave encroachment on the sovereignty of a sovereign state, violation of and insult to the human rights and flagrant challenge to the exercise of the rights of the U.N. member state conforming to the U.N. Charter and to the U.N. itself as well as to the summit organized by it," the ambassador said.
Describing it as a "rude and provocative treatment," the ambassador asked for an official apology on the U.S. part.
Kim Yong-nam was one of the over 150 heads of state or government invited to attend the Millennium Summit to take place Wednesday. The three-day meeting, the largest gathering of the world body, is to address issues of common interest including the role of the U.N. in the 21st century.
Press reports said leaders of the delegations of the Republic of Korea and the DPRK had planned to meet during the summit, part of the 55th U.N. General Assembly.
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