NKorea seeks normalisation of ties with SKorea - paper

PYONGYANG, February 21 (Itar-Tass) - North Korea seeks normalisation
of relations with South Korea despite the failure of inter-Koran military
talks, held in the settlement of Panmunjom on the border between the two
countries on February 8-9, North Korea's central party newspaper Rodong
Sinmun wrote on Monday.
In its commentary, the newspaper urges Seoul to make concrete steps to
improve bilateral relations. It stressed that tensions between the sides
"go against the will of the Korean nation".
North Korea offers "to do away with political and military
confrontation, build bilateral relations on principles of mutual trust and
reconciliation in order to prepare the ground for the reunification of the
Fatherland," the Rodong Sinmun wrote.
"South Korea must immediately abandon a propaganda campaign which puts
artificial obstacles in the way towards an improvement of relations
between the North and the South and prevents a peaceful unification,"
another government newspaper, the Minju Choson, writes. "History will pass
a tough sentence to those who oppose the will of the Korean nation," the
newspaper warned.
This year, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has offered South
Korea to hold a chain of meetings between representatives of political
parties, both ruling and oppositional, public organisations as well as the
Red Cross societies to discuss main issues concerning the future fate of
the Korean nation.
The newspapers also urge South Korea not to hold military manoeuvres
jointly with the United States and "prove its commitment to a peaceful
settlement on the Korean peninsula".
In the past "talks between the DPRK and South Korea were blocked each
time because of joint U.S.-South Korean manoeuvres," the Rodong Sinmun
notes. It was reported earlier about plans of the USA and South Korea to
hold the Condor and Key Resolution military exercises in February-March
2011.
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