NORTH KOREA TO RETURN TO 6-PARTY TALKS

By Jamaluddin Muhammad

HANOI, July 22 (Bernama) -- At the height of the current tension in Korean
Peninsula, Pyongyang announced Thursday its willingness to return to the 6-Party
Talks and planned to allow international peacekeepers in its demilitarised zone.

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun informed Malaysian Foreign
Minister Anifah Aman of the matter during their bilateral meeting on the
sidelines of the Post Ministerial Conferences at the National Convention Centre
(NCC) here.

Anifah, speaking to Malaysian journalists, said Pak told him that North
Korea was willing to resume with the 6-Party Talks in finding a peaceful
solution to that region.

The 6-Party Talks involve North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, United
States and Russia.

The talks are aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the security concerns
as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons programme. The last talks in
December 2008 ended in a deadlock.

Currently, tensions are running high in the Korean Peninsula, following the
sinking of South Korean naval ship Cheonan, allegedly torpedoed by a North
Korean submarine near the Yellow Sea border last March.

North Korea has denied any involvement in the incident which claimed the
lives of 46 sailors.

This Sunday's major military exercise involving the United States and South
Korea in the Sea of Japan has sent a strong signal and warning to North Korea
over the alleged attacks.

The United States also wants to impose a new economic sanction against North
Korea.

Anifah said Malaysia welcomed North Korea's desire to return to the 6-Party
Talks, as Malaysia and Asean wanted to see a peaceful and stable Korean
Peninsula.

Anifah said his North Korean counterpart explained to him that Pyongyang was
not responsible for the alleged attack and the scientific findings into the
case were not conclusive to point the finger at the North.

On North Korea's plan to allow international peacekeepers into its
demilitarised zone (DMZ), Anifah described it as a good development.

This is the first time North Korea has planned to allow such development to
take place in the DMZ, a strip of land in the Korean Peninsula which serves as
a buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea.

DMZ comprises an area measuring 250km long and four kilometres wide, and is
militarily, the most heavily guarded border in the world.

"I told my counterpart that he has the opportunities to explain the Korean
Peninsula situation at tomorrow's Asean Regional Forum (ARF)," said Anifah.

ARF is a regional security forum involving 27 countries, including United
States, Russia, China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and 10 Asean members.

In fact, all members of the 6-Party Talks are also participants in ARF and
there is no indication at the moment, whether the 6-Party Talks will resume on
the sidelines of ARF.

Apart from Pak, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is already in town to
atttend the Asean-US meeting Thursday, and ARF Friday.

Anifah said, Pak welcomed the exchange of high-level visits between the
two countries as the last was in 2006, involving the respective foreign
ministers.
-- BERNAMA


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