An issue to be resolved by themselves: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed July 20 the importance of the two Koreas dealing with inter-Korean issues independently and the significance of the historic North-South summit talks.

According to a report by ITAR-TASS from Pyongyang, President Putin said to the press before his departure from the North Korean capital that Russia "considers peace on the Korean peninsula a matter to be resolved by the Koreans themselves."

In addition, the Russian president emphasized that the historic June inter-Korean summit bore significant meaning. "Moscow is fully prepared to contribute to solving any disputes triggered in the region if needed," he was quoted as saying.

President Putin left Pyongyang after a historic two-day visit with a hearty send-off from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. The two leaders adopted a joint declaration July 19 that consisted of 11 provisions, including pledges on bilateral economic cooperation and mutual collaboration in the international arena, according to a July 20 report by the North Korean Central News Agency and Pyongyang Broadcasting.

In the joint declaration, Pyongyang and Moscow also agreed to restore their bilateral ties through cooperation in a variety of fields, including society, culture, sports, science and technology. They also vowed to boost economic cooperation. In addition, Pyongyang`s central news agency said that President Putin invited North Korean leader Kim to visit Russia at a convenient time through the accord, and the invitation was gratefully accepted.

The joint declaration also affirmed that both countries stand against all policies that could spur aggressive actions or wars, and would promote armament reduction and global stability.

As to bilateral military cooperation in relation to the abolition of the automatic military assistance clause, the joint declaration reportedly stated that the two countries are willing to contact each other without hesitation when deliberation and mutual collaboration are made necessary by a military invasion or any threat to the peace and security of both countries.

Russia and North Korea also agreed that the unification of the two Koreas should be sought independently by Koreans, without any outside intervention.

Jointly denouncing the U.S.`s national missile defense (NMD) and theater missile defense (TMD) programs, which have allegedly been pursued for strategic reasons and regional stability, Putin and Kim agreed that North Korea`s missile programs were also developed for peaceful reasons.

Meanwhile, a foreign news report that claimed Kim Jong-il pledged to abandon Pyongyang`s missile development under certain conditions at a meeting with President Putin has triggered controversy.

A South Korean authority said July 20, "We have never heard from Pyongyang that they are prepared to bring missile development to a halt, even with conditions attached."

"There is a high chance that the foreign press mistranslated something in the process of quoting the Russian media," he added.

White House Spokesman Joe Lockhart also reacted cautiously to the report July 19, urging all sides to "look closely into it before bringing forward any comments on North Korea abandoning missile development."