Australia to talk missiles, MIAs in rare N. Korea visit

November 11, 2000
Web posted at: 7:57 AM HKT (2357 GMT)

CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer will discuss North Korea's missile policy and the status of Australian soldiers who went missing in the Korean War during a visit to Pyongyang next week.

But the November 14-16 visit, the first by an Australian minister since 1975, is principally designed to continue the dialogue between Western powers and the gradually thawing communist state.

"The main purpose of the visit will be to do what we can to contribute to the momentum of engagement with North Korea, there have been some encouraging developments in the past six months," a foreign affairs official told reporters on Friday.

Downer is due to arrive in Pyongyang at 2:30 p.m. (0530 GMT) on Tuesday and depart early on Thursday morning.

Ties between Australia and North Korea were frozen in 1975 when North Korea closed its embassy in Canberra and expelled staff from Australia's embassy in Pyongyang with no clear reason given.

But in May, Australia became the second country to restore diplomatic relations with the communist state, and since then, North Korea has restored ties with most Western nations, including the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during a two-day trip to Pyongyang in October.

Australian officials said they did not yet know whether Downer would meet Kim, saying he would likely only be told of his appointments upon arrival in Pyongyang.

"We don't have details of the programme. He's expressed interest in meeting Mr. Kim and a range of other leaders but until we get there we won't know," the official said, adding that North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun would host the visit.

The official said Downer will urge Pyongyang to maintain its moratorium on long-range missile launches, curb weapons exports and allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into all North Korean facilities.

"There are a lot of arms control issues on which we are going to convey our interest... we will certainly be urging the North Koreans to abide by their IAEA safeguards commitments," he said.

Downer also wanted to see first-hand the international humanitarian aid programmes in the destitute nation.

Australia has contributed A$23.4 million ($12.3 million) in food aid to North Korea since 1996.

Downer will also raise the issue of Australian soldiers declared missing in action (MIA) during the 1950-1953 Korean War, several of whom are still unaccounted for.

"There are a number of MIAs, there is one case in particular where the relatives have approached us...and we will follow that matter up," the official said.

He declined to give details.

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