Extracts. President Jiang's DPRK Tour Hailed as Success. The just-concluded visit by the top Chinese leader Jiang Zemin to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was hailed as a complete success on Wednesday by a senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official who accompanied Jiang in the tour. Talking to reporters on the achievements made during the three-day visit, Dai Bingguo, chief of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said the visit has fully demonstrated the friendship between the two countries, deepened mutual understanding and trust, and greatly strengthened the Sino-DPRK relations. It "is an important measure for promoting peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, an important event in the party-to-party and state-to-state relations between the two countries," the senior CPC official said. The visit is "bound to generate important and profound influence" on the future development of relations between the two countries, on peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and on the common prosperity in China, the DPRK and other countries in the region," he said. During the visit, which was conducted mainly in Jiang's capacity of the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the two sides shared the view that it is crucial to safeguard and promote peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, Dai said. The two sides "are determined to make their own efforts in maintaining and consolidating regional peace and stability and promoting common prosperity in every country in the region," he said. The warm reception and hospitality Jiang received during the visit is a manifestation of the unusually deep friendship between the CPC and the Workers' Party of Korea (WPC), the two countries and the two peoples, said the CPC official. The friendship between China and the DPRK, which will expand in the new century in a continuous, steady and healthy way, not only conforms to the interests of the two countries and the two peoples, but also is of great significance to the promotion of peace and stability in the region and the world at large, he said. During his visit, Jiang reiterated the consistent guidelines of the CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people on further strengthening and developing bilateral ties. He described as "very good" the talks between Jiang and Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the WPK Central Committee and chairman of the National Defense Commission. Dai said that both sides are determined to make concerted efforts in line with the consensus between the top leaders of the two countries to push the relations to a new high, while taking into consideration the tradition, the future and the good- neighborliness of the bilateral ties and cooperation. The two countries are determined to concentrate on the development in their own country, with the DPRK appreciating China 's reform and opening-up policy and Jiang's thought of "three representations" and China respecting the DPRK's development path mapped to fit the DPRK's specific conditions, said the CPC official. He also spoke highly of the achievements made by the DPRK people under the leadership of Kim Jong Il in overcoming economic difficulties, improving diplomatic relations with Western countries and improving relations with South Korea. China attaches importance to the development of good-neighborly relations, friendship and cooperation with its neighboring countries, Dai said. **** Seoul Proposes Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks for Sept. 15-18. South Korea accepted North Korea's proposal to resume inter-Korean dialogue and suggested Thursday that minister-level officials meet in Seoul Sept. 15-18, Yonhap reported Thursday. The South Korean government relayed a message through the liaison office at the truce village of Panmunjom, saying Seoul welcomes Pyongyang's proposal to resume talks in 'keeping alive the spirit of the June 15 inter-Korean summit joint statement.' **** Pyongyang Accepts Seoul's Timetable for Inter-Korean Talks. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/dprk.html> (DPRK <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/dprk.html> ) has accepted South Korea's timetable for the fifth inter-Korean ministerial-level meeting slated to open in Seoul on September 15-18. Hours following South Korea's suggestion Thursday morning for the timetable after the DPRK proposed early resumption of the stalled inter-Korean talks last Sunday, Pyongayng sent a telephone message through the inter-Korean liaison officer at the truce village of Panmunjom to inform acceptance of the timetable. The forthcoming meeting will mark the end of the six-month freeze in inter-Korean reconciliation which coincided with worsening U.S.-DPRK relations after George B. Bush became U.S. president last January. In the message, Pyongyang agreed to Seoul's proposal for holding the fifth South-North minister-level talks on September 15- 18. "We hope the dialogue will proceed in line with the June 15 inter-Korean summit joint declaration," read the message. The meeting is expected to discuss issues on non-fulfilled items carried in existing inter-Korean agreements and other issues that need to be addressed in the future. Those issues include the cross-border railway and highway reconnection project, reunions of separated families, the opening of an overland tour route to DPRK Mount Kumgang and Seoul's support for the development of an industrial complex in the DPRK city of Kaesong. FM Spokesman: China Opposes US Sanctions. The Chinese government has made solemn representations with the government of the United States over its decision to impose sanctions against the Chinese side, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday afternoon. FM spokesman Zhu Bangzao said that the US government decided, starting from September 1, to impose sanctions against the Chinese side under the pretext of the so-called export of missile-related items to Pakistan by the China Metallurgical Equipment Corporation (MECC). The Chinese side cannot but express strong indignation at and resolute opposition to the United States's hegemonic act of willfully imposing sanctions on other countries according to its domestic laws. He said that over a period of time, the US has repeatedly alleged that MECC was engaged in missile proliferation activities according to its so-called "intelligence information". In-depth investigations by the Chinese side indicate that MECC has never engaged in any activities as alleged by the United States and the US allegation is groundless. However, he said, the US side is bent on making the erroneous decision based on its wrong intelligence information, in disregard of the constructive position and the investigation results of the Chinese side. Such a U.S. move is totally groundless and irresponsible, which the Chinese side can never accept. He said that on the issue of non-proliferation, the Chinese policy is consistent and clear-cut. Last November, China and the United States announced respectively their policies on missile non-proliferation and Sino-U.S. cooperation on space launching. China has all along strictly fulfilled its own commitment. However, the US side not only failed to honor its own commitment, but also decided to impose sanctions on China out of nowhere. "This cannot but make us doubt the sincerity of the United States in honoring the relevant bilateral understandings," he said. The improvement and development of Sino-U.S. relations is in the common interest of the two sides and calls for joint efforts. China strongly urges the US side to immediately withdraw its wrong decision, so as to avoid any damage to Sino-US cooperation in non-proliferation. Otherwise, the US side should bear all the responsibilities for the consequences arising therefrom, he said. **** China, Russia Discuss Economic Ties, Preparations for PM Meeting. Chinese State Councilor Wu Yi and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov on Wednesday discussed bilateral economic ties and the preparations for the 6th regular meeting of the two countries' premiers. Wu, also Chinese Chairperson of the Joint Commission for the Regular Meetings of Heads of Government of China and Russia, and Klebanov, the Russian chairman of the intergovernmental commission, embraced a broad range of bilateral trade and economic issues, including prospects to build an oil pipeline linking China and Russia. The plan on constructing the oil pipeline was specifically discussed. The two sides also discussed cooperation in aviation, coordination of their positions on China's plans to purchase Russian civilian aircraft. Both sides agreed that China and Russia made a breakthrough in trade last year when turnover reached 8 billion dollars. The two sides vowed to boost their annual trade turnover to 10 billion U.S. dollars. The upcoming 6th regular meeting of the two countries' premiers also topped Wu-Klebanov talks. The parties reviewed the agenda of the upcoming talks between Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, scheduled for Saturday in St. Petersburg. **** Iraq Expels UN Employees for Security Violations. Iraq has expelled five employees working for the United Nations oil-for-food program for allegedly harming its national security, Iraqi television reported on Wednesday. The five people, four Nigerians and a Bosnian, engaged in activities violating Iraq's security and incompatible with their mission in Iraq, the television quoted as saying a Foreign Ministry official. They have been declared "persona non grata" and were demanded to leave Iraq within 72 hours, and they are forbidden from visiting Iraq again in the future, the official said, on customary condition of anonymity. Three of them left Baghdad on Tuesday and the two others have left before Iraq's expulsion, he added. Iraq has been under sweeping U.N. economic sanctions since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. It has repeatedly blasted the sanctions regime and the U.N. oil-for-food program, which it says has failed to meet Iraq's humanitarian needs. The U.N. humanitarian deal, which was launched in 1996 as an exception to the trade embargo, allows Iraq to sell oil in return for U.N.-monitored imports of food, medicine and other basic needs to ease the sufferings of the Iraqi people. In January, Iraq accused a U.N. official from Kenya of trying to smuggle "illegal items" into Iraq and demanded his withdrawal. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said at that time "many such incidents have proven that U.N. employees are misusing their status to do things they know very will violate Iraqi laws." **** FARC Slams Upcoming Visit to Colombia by US Secretary of State. Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), on Thursday slammed US Secretary of State Colin Powell's upcoming visit to Colombia as a sign of the US military intervention in Colombia (LATIN AMERICA?). Powell is scheduled to tour Colombia on September 11-12 after visiting Peru for the General Assembly of the Organization of American States. "We reject this visit precisely because Mr. Powell is a representative of the most militaristic sector of the U.S. administration," the peace negotiator of the FARC, Andres Paris, was quoted by the press as saying. He charged U.S. pilots with participating in an air offensive launched by the Colombian military against the rebel group in southeastern Colombia. Paris said the FARC had observed with great concern the growing U.S. military presence in Colombia, a development that he dubbed an "open violation of national sovereignty." Washington is the main backer of the multibillion-dollar Plan Colombia which aims at eradicating the production of cocaine in the country. The FARC, the oldest and most powerful rebel group in Colombia, is mainly funded by the cocaine trade. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
