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Pyongyang, Seoul to Continue Discussions on Tourism Cooperation. The Democratic People's Republic of Korean (DPRK) and South Korea agreed Friday to hold more talks on how to revive the troubled tourism of the DPRK's Mount Kumgang. The agreement was made at the end of the first round of the three-day inter-Korean authorities' talks, in which both sides originally planned to open a road from South Korea to a resort in the scenic area but failed. Despite the failure, both sides share the view that the revival of Mount Kumgang tourism contributes to the promotion of national reconciliation and cooperation and it is symbolic to the present inter-Korean relations. Both sides also appreciated the great efforts made by the Korean Asian-pacific Peace Committee and the Hyundai Group of South Korean to promote tourism of famous Mount Kumgang for the last three years, according to the Korean Central News Agency. South Korea's Hyundai Group had been paying 12 million U.S. dollars a month to the North to run ferry cruises to the Mount Kumgang resort, but stopped all payments in March because of its own financial problems and a declining number of tourists. The resort scheme is a central item in South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's policy of engagement between the two countries, which remain technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended in an armed truce that has never been replaced by a peace treaty. The meeting, started on Thursday at the DPRK's Mount Kumgang tourism resort, aimed to revive the troubled tourism resort project that has come to symbolize reconciliation efforts between the two countries. Both sides also agreed to hold the second round of the talks this month. **** NPC Chairman Li Peng Visits Old Revolutionary Base. Chinese top legislator Li Peng visited Tujia minorities in Youyang Autonomous County of Tujia and Miao ethnic groups in Chongqing Municipality, southwest China, on Tuesday and Wednesday. During his two-day trip to the county, Li, chairman of the Standing Committee of 9th National People's Congress, visited two primary schools built with domestic and overseas assistance. Li donated teaching materials to the two schools and met with students. Accompanied by top officials of the Chongqing Municipal Party and government, Li also visited a water conservancy project, which helps the county get rid of the threat of flooding. Due to poor communications conditions, Youyang was an impoverished area until 1993. Nearly a decade's poverty alleviation efforts by hundreds of thousands of local residents and outside support enabled the county to eradicate poverty in 2000. **** NPC Vice-chairman Mourns over Death of Mongolian Great Hural Chairman. Buhce, vice-chairman of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC Standing Committee, Tuesday went to the Mongolian embassy in Beijing to mourn over the death of Chairman Lhamsurengyn Enebish of Mongolia's State Great Hural (parliament). Enebish, who died of illness on September 29, was also general secretary of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and chairman of the Mongolia-China friendship association. Earlier, Li Peng , chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, sent a letter of condolence to the State Great Hural on Enebish's death. Wang Yi, Vice-Foreign Minister, and Wang Jiarui, deputy head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, also went to the Mongolian embassy to express condolence over Enebish's death on separate occasions. **** Chinese Mainland and Island Province to Enter Joint Oil and Gas Project. The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and the Chinese Petroleum Corpration of Taiwan Province will jointly explore oil and natural gas in the Taiwan Strait, a report said on Wednesday. CPC president Pan Wen-yen would fly to the mainland next week to sign a letter of intent with CNOOC for the project. The cooperation involves seismic testing and drilling in the targeted area covering 15,400 square kilometers (9,240 square miles) in the Tainan basin between southern Taiwan and Guangdong province. A CPC spokesman stopped short of confirming the deal but said: "Both sides feel the need for exploration." CPC and CNOOC conducted initial geophysical studies under a two-year contract signed in July 1996 and the study showed possible rich oil and natural gas reserves, the CPC official said. But the cooperation was halted in late 1996 after the Taiwan authority introduced new controls on investment and trade links with the mainland. In August, CNOOC chairman Wei Liucheng said in an interview with the Asian Wall Street Journal that Beijing had thrown its weight behind the joint exploration plan and the contract was tentatively scheduled to be signed in November. "We are much stronger in terms of exploration and development capability, and they are much better at refining. It's an excellent union," Wei said. But he declined to disclose financial terms of the deal. **** Israeli Troops Invade Hebron, Killing Six Palestinians. Israeli troops invaded Palestinian areas in Hebron Friday morning, killing six Palestinians and wounding more than 50 others, Palestinian sources said. Israeli troops' invasion, apparently aimed at stemming shooting at Jewish neighborhoods, has prompted exchange of gunfire with Palestinians in the West Bank city, Israel Radio quoted the sources as saying. Over the past few days, Palestinian gunmen fired at Jewish neighborhoods in Hebron, injuring two Israeli women when thousands of people were celebrating the Sukkot holiday (Feast of Tabernacles) near the holy site of Cave of the Patriarchs. Israeli troops entered the Palestinian neighborhoods of Abu Sneina and Khart a-Sheikh Thursday night and demolished a number of buildings, from which Palestinian gunmen opened fire. **** Israeli PM Appeals US Not to Turn Back on Israel in Anti-Terrorism Coalition. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has appealed to the United States not to turn its back on Israel and favor the Arab states in its current bid to forge an international anti-terrorism coalition, Israel Radio reported Friday. At a press conference held Thursday night in Tel Aviv, Sharon compared Israel's current situation to that of Czech <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/czech.html> oslovakia on the eve of the World War II, urging the Western states "not to repeat the horrible error of 1938." "The enlightened democracies of Europe decided then to sacrifice Czechoslovakia in favor of a convenient temporary solution," Sharon said. "Israel will not be Czechoslovakia," said the prime minister, adding that "do not try to appease the Arabs on our backs. We will be unable to accept that." In his first public criticism of the U.S. and its Mideast policy, Sharon said that "all of our efforts to reach a ceasefire were foiled by the Palestinians and the fire did not stop, not even for a single day." He also vowed to make uncompromising efforts to combat terrorism, saying that "Israel will fight terrorism." "We can only rely on ourselves," he added. The United States, generally biased towards Israel in its handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has recently urged Israel to avoid provocative actions and the Palestinians to do more to stem violence. Enditem **** Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi to Visit China: FM Spokesman. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will pay a one-day working visit to China on October 8, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said Friday. He said that based on agreements reached between the Chinese and Japanese sides, the Japanese Prime Minister will visit the Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression located beside the Lugou Bridge in southwest Beijing . He will also exchange views with Chinese leaders on historical issues and other issues concerning current Sino-Japanese relations. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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