Powell to Meet Roh on Nuke Issue
2003-02-21
United States Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Seoul Feb. 24-25 to attend the inauguration of President-elect Roh Moo-hyun, the Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry said on Thursday (Feb. 20).
"Powell will visit Seoul on the last leg of his three-nation Asian tour that will take him to Japan Feb. 22-23 and China Feb. 23-24," the ministry said. The State Department also confirmed the visit to Seoul.
Powell will meet with Roh to discuss issues of mutual concern including the lingering tension on the Korean peninsula over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Powell will also meet other senior officials to coordinate policies on North Korea, but the exact itinerary of his visit is yet to be determined, a ministry official explained.
In Tokyo and Beijing, Powell will hold discussions with senior officials on global, regional, and bilateral issues, including the U.S.' envisioned attacks against Iraq and ways to deal with North Korea, he said.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said during a news briefing in Washington, "It's a very important opportunity to talk with our allies and friends in North Asia about the situation in North Korea and our common goal of making sure that North Korea abandons its nuclear programs."
"We have made clear that North Korea must visibly, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear weapons program and come into compliance with its international obligations," he said.
Source : www.korea.net
