TOKYO, AUG 23: Japan and South Korea's foreign ministers closed ranks here on Monday in the face of an unknown threat from North Korea's ballistic missile programme, officials said. But they also welcomed signs of Pyongyang being ready to negotiate on the missile fears.``Both the ministers agreed that it is still hard to tell North Korea's future actions,'' said a Japanese foreign ministry official after the meeting here, adding, ``They still do not have a clear view of when the North Korea may launch a missile.''
South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Hong Soon-Young discussed the feared North Korean missile test in a meeting here with Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura.
Rising fears that Pyongyang is preparing to launch a long-range Taepodong II missile have been tempered by an official report that North Korea is ``always ready for negotiation'' on the fears.
The statement has led analysts to guess that the starving, cash-strapped North looks set to begin haggling to extract badly-neededmoney and benefits, including possible diplomatic recognition, from the United States.
North Korea launched a Taepodong I in August last year which flew over Japanese territory, stunning Tokyo, Seoul and Washington. Pyongyang said the missile was launching a satellite.
Japan and South Korea's ministers ``both welcomed the signs of North Korea's readiness to have dialogue,'' said the Japanese official, briefing journalists after the meeting.
``They reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation between Japan, the United States and South Korea to prepare for any possible situation involving North Korea in the future.''
During the ``friendly'' 90-minute talks, the foreign ministers also raised the question hanging over Japan's financial contributions to an international group aimed at curbing North Korea's suspect nuclear programme.
Under a 1994 deal between Pyongyang and Washington, an international consortium is providing North Korea with two light-water nuclear reactors in return for a freeze in itssuspect nuclear arms program.
The consortium, the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), needs 4.6 billion dollars, of whom the biggest funders are South Korea, Japan, the European Union and United States.
But last year's Taepodong I launch prompted Japan to temporarily freeze its one billion dollar contribution to the KEDO. And Tokyo is threatening to do so again if another missile goes off.
``The South Korean side asked Japan to continue having a strong interest in the KEDO program and Komura responded by saying that he will do so,'' the foreign ministry official said.
Both Seoul and Washington are pressuring Tokyo to resist the temptation of cutting off KEDO aid for the sake of preserving a program considered critical to curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
South Korea's foreign minister, who arrived Sunday for a 48-hour visit, was to attend an official dinner later in the day during which the North Korean missile might be raised again, said the foreign ministryofficial.
US Congressman to visit N Korea
SEOUL: US Congressman Tony Hall will visit Pyongyang this week to get first-hand information on North Korea's policy amid efforts to dissuade the Stalinist country from test-firing a missile, officials said Monday. Hall will drop by Seoul and Tokyo on his way home to brief South Korean and Japanese officials on his four-day trip from August 26 that would precede missile talks in the United States between Pyongyang and Washington.``His visit will focus on looking at the distribution of international food aid in the famine-stricken North,'' a South Korean foreign ministry official said. Meanwhile, Seoul's Yonhap news agency said Hall would discuss with North Korean leaders the country's missile threat. His trip comes amid an extensive diplomatic campaign by Washington and its allies to make North Korea give up suspected plans to test fire a long-range missile.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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