Japan FM plans to have separate meeting with NKorea FM in Singapore.

TOKYO, July 20 (Itar-Tass) - Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura intends to have a separate meeting with his North Korean counterpart Pak Ui Chun at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on security in Singapore next week, reliable sources at Japanese political headquarters reported on Sunday.

The agenda of the regular 15th RAF session includes a discussion of prospects for denuclearising the Korean Peninsula. A meeting of the Six on the North Korean nuclear problem will be held for the first time during the meeting of the forum which includes, apart from the ASEAN Ten, several of its partners in the dialogue, including Russia, the US and the two Korean states.

The sources noted that taking this fact into account, Komura plans to call attention of the forum participants, above all, to the problem of his fellow countrymen, abducted by North Korean secret services last century.

During the talks with US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice on the
sidelines of the Singapore forum, Komura will again demand that Washington should refrain from striking out North Korea from the American list of terrorism sponsor countries (scheduled for August 11) without achievement of a noticeable progress on hostages.

At possible contacts with Pak Ui Chun, the Japanese foreign minister will express a desire that Pyongyang should accelerate a promise (given nearly a month ago) to carry out an additional investigation into the question on the fate of Japanese citizens. For this purpose, in Tokyo's opinion, "it is necessary to start, as soon as possible, bilateral consultations at a working level".

However, according to experts, it will be difficult for Komura to
achieve these plans, since the North Korean press lashed out on Saturday at the Japanese plans to raise the question on hostages at the informal ministerial meeting of the Six in Singapore and during other ASEAN events.

Other Japanese partners in the six-party talks, including South Korea and China, also suggested Tokyo this week "to join quicker other countries in giving North Korea energy aid".