Koreans vow to work closer

By Amit Baruah

BANGKOK, JULY 26 The handshake was businesslike, though firm. The Foreign Ministers of North Korea and South Korea, Mr. Paek Nam- sun and Mr. Lee Joung- binn, held their first-ever meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting today. And they also posed for the media before going in for their bilateral meeting.

Earlier in the day, there was chaos as Mr. Paek paid a courtesy call on the Thai Foreign Minister, Mr. Surin Pitsuwan. Mobbed by the press, Mr. Paek looked surprised at all the interest in his presence in Bangkok.

Following a half-hour meeting, a statement was issued noting that the recent `historic summit meeting' between the South Korean President, Mr. Kim Dae-jung, and the North Korean President, Mr. Kim Jong-il, ``carries a great deal of significance as a milestone in improving mutual understanding and trust, advancing inter-Korean relations, and realising peaceful unification on the Korean peninsula''. There is little doubt that the Mr. Paek's presence is the high-point of this year's ARF consultations, which Pyongyang is attending for the first time.

The statement also said that ``both (Ministers) reaffirmed the historical significance of the South-North Joint Declaration, and appreciated the smooth progress made in the follow-up measures to implement the Declaration''.

``The two Ministers also agreed to cooperate on matters of external relations and in the international arena so as to enhance inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation based on the spirit of the South-North Joint Declaration.'' It is now confirmed that Mr. Paek will also hold talks with the U.S. Secretary of State, Ms. Madeleine Albright. Her deputy, Mr. Strobe Talbott, is already in Bangkok and will be representing the U.S. in the informal working dinner of ARF tonight and the formal session tomorrow.

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