President Rules Out Summit With Koizumi in May


By Shim Jae-yun
Staff Reporter

President Roh Moo-hyun will have a summit meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Moscow on May 9 on the occasion of a ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the World War II, according to Chong Wa Dae officials Thursday.

``We are seeking ways to realize the meeting,’’ Chong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Man-soo told The Korea Times.

He said the two leaders will discuss issues of mutual concern, including the continuing standoff over the North Korean nuclear weapons program and security in Northeast Asia.



Roh and Hu are also expected to focus on how to jointly cope with the escalating dispute involving Japan’s history distortion in school textbooks, sources said.
Kim, however, rebuffed the possibility for the trilateral summit among Roh, Hu and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Russia.

Such a meeting is unlikely to occur due to difficulties in arranging it, although Koizumi will also attend the ceremony, he said.

Kim also dismissed speculation that Roh may have a summit with Koizumi during his visit to Moscow.

Roh and Koizumi are scheduled to meet in South Korea sometime in June as part of shuttle diplomacy between the two nations.

The relations between Seoul and Tokyo have soured in recent months following Japan’s repeated claim on to Tokto (Dokdo) islets in the East Sea and distortion of history in state-approved school textbooks.

In particular, the history distortion has prompted fierce resistance in China, with an increasing number of Chinese citizens resorting to violent protests.

The summit between Roh and Hu, once realized, will draw special attention as the two nations have been trying to seek measures to address the disputes with Japan.

The two leaders will likely discuss ways to induce North Korea to return to the multilateral talks, which have been stalled with the North’s continual boycott of them, citing the U.S. hostile attitude toward the reclusive nation.

There has been speculation that the Chinese leader will visit North Korea in early May to talk about ways of resuming the six-party negotiations, according to Chinese sources. But Seoul officials rebuffed such possibility.

Regarding North Korea’s participation in the ceremony, the presidential spokesman said he did not believe the North’s leader, Kim Jong-il, will attend.

``But it seems Kim Young-nam, North Korea’s No. 2 man after Kim Jong-il, will attend the ceremony,’’ Kim said.