By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter





President Roh Moo-hyun will hold a summit with U.S. President George W. Bush to discuss ways to develop the alliance between the two countries, on Nov. 17, one day ahead of the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Pusan, Chong Wa Dae said Tuesday.

The summit, the fifth of its kind between Roh and Bush, will be held in the ancient capital city of Kyongju, north of Pusan, with agenda items such as the allies’ political and economic cooperation as well as North Korea’s nuclear problem, according to the presidential office.

``The summit will not only help consolidate the friendly relationship between the two heads of state but also deepen the comprehensive, dynamic and mutually beneficial alliance,’’ presidential spokesman Kim Man-soo said in a press briefing.

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan also confirmed the meeting, saying the U.S. president will also attend the APEC summit from Nov. 18 to 19. It is Bush’s first visit to South Korea since the inauguration of the Roh administration in early 2003.

Officials in Seoul said the Roh-Bush summit would largely focus on ways to deepen and develop the half-century-old alliance, rather than discussing such concrete topics as the transfer of the wartime military command from Washington to Seoul.

In the last one-on-one talks in Washington last June, Bush described the South Korea-U.S. alliance as ``unique, strong, important and strategic,’’ in response to speculation about possible rifts in dealing with issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula.

``Most of the pending issues concerning the readjustment of the alliance were settled at the last summit in June,’’ a senior Seoul official said on condition of anonymity. ``The upcoming talks will focus on broader topics for the future.’’

Roh will chair this year’s APEC summit to be attended by leaders from 21 Asian and Pacific countries. He will likely use the forum to drum up international support for Seoul’s efforts to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully.

Experts expect this year’s APEC meeting, coinciding with the scheduled fifth round of six-party talks in Beijing, would produce a significant statement regarding the nuclear issue as the top leaders from all the six participants in the nuclear talks, except North Korea, will attend the Pusan APEC forum.

The two-day APEC summit, under the slogan of trade liberalization and a safe and transparent Asia and Pacific, will also likely focus on jointly tackling bird flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), terrorism and corruption.

About 500 chief executive officers of APEC member states are supposed to present a covenant against corruption during the summit meeting to join forces with government-level efforts to fight corruption.

Roh is also expected to hold talks with several Southeast Asian and American states on the sidelines of the APEC forum to consolidate bilateral economic cooperation in trade and investment, energy and technology development, according to sources.

jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr