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| Korea | |
| Japan PM May Visit N.Korea in September -Report | |
| 2003-07-06 | |
| It's a Reuters report, so pass the salt. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is exploring the possibility of a visit to North Korea in September, a major Japanese daily reported on Sunday. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) said talks were going on behind the scenes to arrange what would be Koizumi's second visit to the reclusive communist state, after a trip in September 2002. Be sure to bring a housewarming gift — edible flowers are always nice. A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said he was unaware of such a possibility. "There is no such plan whatsoever, as far as I know," ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima said. "However, we have had communications through various channels with an eye to re-opening normalisation talks and also resolving the abduction and the nuclear issues." Good diplomat — classic non-denial! He declined to give further details or say how recently the last talks had been. The Nikkei said Koizumi's visit would aim to break the stalemate in international negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program as well as resolve issues over its abduction of Japanese. Japan would have to coordinate its actions with the United States and consider a number of domestic and international issues before any such visit could take place, it added, however. Like whether it delays what we all want to see happen. Any pre-visit negotiations with the reclusive communist state would prove difficult, it said. Nothing that a big bag of Doritos and some dip couldn't fix! Koizumi made a historic visit to North Korea last September and met with its leader Kim Jong-il, who apologized and admitted that Pyongyang did kidnap Japanese in the 1960s and 1970s to help train spies. His admission led to talks on resuming ties, but negotiations have since stalled, largely over the handling of five abductees who returned to Japan in October and remain separated from their North Korean-born children. The crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions has also hampered progress. China, communist Pyongyang's nearest
So long as it doesn't delay what has to happen. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |