Kim Jong Il Meets Lao President

Pyongyang (KCNA) - Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, met visiting Choummaly Sayasone, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and president of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, on Sept. 23.
Kim Jong Il warmly welcomed Choummaly Sayasone's visit to the DPRK and conveyed his warm greetings to the Lao people in their efforts to defend the gains of the revolution, develop the people's democratic system and increase the state power as a whole under the leadership of the LPRP.
Choummaly Sayasone expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Kim Jong Il for inviting him and sparing his time to meet him despite the pressure of the work of leading the building of a thriving nation.
Kim Jong Il expressed the will of the WPK and the DPRK government to further strengthen the friendly and cooperative relations with Laos in line with the noble intentions of the leaders of the elder generation of the two countries and the desire of their peoples.
Kim Jong Il in company with Choummaly Sayasone visited an exhibition featuring the history of the development of the KPA's arms and equipment.
The Lao president presented Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, with the gifts he prepared with sincerity.
He hosted a banquet in honor of the Lao president.