“Willing to Resume Food Support to North Korea”

The Tokyo Newspaper reported on the 22nd from Washington that the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell said, “America is not using provisions as a political weapon,” so he hinted that America would resume the food support to North America, which had stopped last December.

This newspaper reported that the Secretary Powell, who was on his way to visit Japan, hinted this policy at the stopover, Anchorage on the 21st, and he seemed to announce it officially when he would visit Seoul for the Presidential Inaugural Ceremony of the President-Elect Roh, Moo-Hyun.

The newspaper also reported that this also had a character as a preliminary management to get approval of the US Congress for the Budget for the 2003 Fiscal Year, which included the fund for food support to North Korea.

The Secretary Powell, then, had a talk on the 22nd with the Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo, Japan, which was the first country of his 3 round of visits of Korea, China, and Japan, and confirmed existing standpoint of America saying, “America is solving the North Korean nuclear problem with talks between multiple countries.”

In the meantime, the diplomatic informed sources of China and America said the Secretary Powell, who left Japan and arrived at Beijing, China on the 23rd, was planning to meet with the Chinese leaders such as the President Jiang Zemin and the Secretary General of the Party Hu Jintao and ask them to press North Korea to give up nuclear development.

parkwj@donga.com