|
US President George W. Bush expressed his intentions to visit Seoul in a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Han Seung-soo, who is president of the 56th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, after giving a speech at the assembly on Saturday EST.
Han said to the press that President Bush had apologized for canceling his Seoul visit that was originally scheduled for October, saying it was because of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and promised to visit at a later date. Han added that Bush ordered Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security advisor Condoleezza Rice, who were present at the meeting, to work out a schedule for the visit.
President Bush also said that the inclusion of North Korea in the international society and recognizing it as a "normal nation" is very important, and welcomed Pyongyang¡¯s decision to join two of the UN¡¯s anti-terrorism conventions. Bush added that Seoul and Washington must collaborate when planning North Korea policies.
Prime Minister Lee Han-dong made a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly session and said that Korea will actively cooperate in UN¡¯s counter-terrorism measures, and promised humanitarian aids to the refugees of the war against terrorism.
(From New York, Kim Jae-ho, jaeho@chosun.com )
|
