Albright to proceed with Asia trip, North Korea meeting may be back on

Albright

July 26, 2000
Web posted at: 9:45 a.m. HKT (0145 GMT)

THURMONT, Maryland (Reuters) -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright intends to go ahead with a trip to Asia this week as planned following the collapse of Middle East peace talks in which she had been involved, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

"She is now free to go," a State Department official said shortly after it was announced that the marathon talks at President Bill Clinton's presidential retreat of Camp David had broken down.

The trip, including attendance at an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) regional forum in Bangkok, may include an unprecedented meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun.

MESSAGE BOARD North and South Korea     RESOURCES Asiaweek: 'Splendid' Is the Word   . . QUICK VOTE Do you think ASEAN has a clear plan when it comes to resolving regional crises? Yes No View Results    BACKGROUND ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Founded in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. ASEAN's aim was to form an alliance that would provide an economic support base for members, allowing them to accelerate growth levels. There was also a desire to maintain regional security against the backdrop of Chinese threats to export revolution to Southeast Asian nations. Brunei joined in 1984. Membership came to Vietnam in 1995. Myanmar and Laos were admitted in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999. With Cambodia's entry, the ASEAN region has a population of about 500 million people.

Albright's departure, now expected late on Tuesday, had been put in doubt as the marathon Middle East summit dragged on.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Sunday that the first meeting between foreign ministers of the two countries would take place on Wednesday, ahead of the ASEAN meeting. That timing now looked impossible, but it was possible a later meeting could be arranged.

On Sunday, White House National Security Council spokesman P.J. Crowley said, assuming Albright did go to Thailand, "I do believe she is scheduled to meet with her North Korean counterpart."

Washington has been trying to arrange a senior level meeting with North Korea in recent months as part of a gradual improvement in relations with the previously hostile Stalinist state in the last decade.

The two countries held bilateral talks in Berlin last week in preparation for the ASEAN meetings, which Washington understood North Korea would be attending, Boucher said.

The United States has made improvement of ties with North Korea a key foreign policy priority, working to rein in its nuclear weapons development and its long-range missiles programme, seen as a potential threat to U.S. targets.

It has lifted economic sanctions on the impoverished country this year after concessions from Pyongyang. A meeting between Albright and Paek would help the isolated country's emergence into the international community.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

ASEAN foreign ministers express concerns of marginalization
July 24, 2000
ASEAN hard-liners under pressure to open up on domestic issues at annual meeting
July 23, 2000
G8 to meet developing nations on digital divide
July 19, 2000
Albright hopes to meet North Korea minister at ASEAN
July 16, 2000

U.S. State Department
Korean Central News Agency
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Thailand

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.