BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei - The 23 foreign ministers attending the 9th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), set to kick off here Wednesday, will call for the second inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in the near future, to promote peace and stability on the peninsula.
They will positively assess the recent peace process on the Korean peninsula, prompted by North Korean proposal to hold an inter-Korean ministerial meeting and South Korean return proposal for a working-level preliminary meeting, they said.
"Through a statement to be adopted at the end of ARF session, they will also encourage the two Koreas to resume dialogue for the enhancement of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation, in keeping with the spirit of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration," said a source requesting anonymity.
The foreign ministers from ASEAN, Asian powers and countries with security interests in the region, including the United States and Russia, will also express concern about the recent incident in the West Sea, which had heightened tensions on the peninsula.
"They will underline the importance of observing the 1953 Armistice Agreement as well as promising confidence building measures," he said.
The 9th ARF will kick off Wednesday to address regional and global security issues coupled with U.S.-led anti-terrorism steps.
Security concerns on the peninsula will be placed on top of the agenda during the opening session, with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun and South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sung-hong taking the podium in turn.
Attention will be focused on Paek statement during the session as it will be first official expression of the North stance in connection with security issues on the peninsula and the proposed dialogue with South Korea.
Paek is also likely to touch on the North relations with the United States, which have remained stalled since the U.S. cancelled its plan to send a delegation to Pyongyang in the wake of the North alleged military provocation in the sea off the west coast of the peninsula.
The source also said the ministers would reiterate the importance of the full implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework, including the reactor project in North Korea, sponsored by the U.S.-led consortium the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO).
"They will also express hope that prospects for dialogue between North Korea and the United States be improved," said the official.
In the meantime, South Korean Foreign Minister Choi will also raise the issue of the North alleged military provocation during the ARF session.
"We will maintain our earlier stance that the incident was provoked by the North but we will refrain from criticizing it, with the goal of maintaining the momentum of the current peace process," said a South Korean official attending the ARF session.
