Swedish parliamentary leader promises cooperation in disarming N. Korea

By Byun Duk-kun
STOCKHOLM, July 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sought Monday
the support of Sweden's political circles for his country's efforts to
denuclearize North Korea and improve ties with Sweden.
Swedish parliamentary speaker Per Westerberg responded with a promise of full
support and said the international community must make concerted efforts against
North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, according to Seoul's presidential office
Cheong Wa Dae.
"Speaker Westerberg expressed the parliament's bipartisan support for our
government's policy to denuclearize North Korea and to develop South-North ties
into a relationship of coexistence," Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.
President Lee and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in their summit talks
earlier Monday had called for international efforts to denuclearize the communist
North.
North Korea conducted its second nuclear detonation test on May 25 and fired a
series of missiles, defying international plea for it to stop provocations.
Lee and Westerberg also discussed ways to further improve the relationship
between their countries while noting the recent flurry of exchanges between their
ranking officials and politicians have led to a significant expansion of their
ties forged 50 years ago, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The South Korean president will head home later Monday, wrapping up his three-day
visit here. He has been on a three-nation European tour that earlier took him to
Poland and Italy, where he attended the expanded summit of the G-8.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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