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South Korean FM in Tokyo for talks

South Korea's foreign minister was to hold talks with Japanese officials beginning yesterday to discuss plans for an Asia-Pacific leaders' summit next month and efforts to convince North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program, officials said.

Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was to arrive in Tokyo late yesterday. The South Korean government said in a statement, released on Tuesday, that Ban will discuss plans for next month's APEC forum, and how to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, ahead of a multilateral talks, also scheduled for next month.

Ban was to meet with his counterpart Nobutaka Machimura yesterday and hold talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi today.

His three-day trip comes as the relations between the two countries have soured over Koizumi's Oct. 17 visit to Yasukuni Shrine. South Korea and China have strongly urged Koizumi to stop his annual visits there saying that the shrine glorifies Japan's wartime invasions of East Asia.

Ban has said that a summit between the two countries was put on hold, and Tokyo's response will be taken into account in deciding whether to go ahead with the plan later this year.

It was unclear whether Ban's trip would lead to a meeting between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Koizumi. Roh's office has said a summit would be difficult "unless there is a significant change in the situation."

Since last year, the two leaders have met twice a year. It's Roh's turn to visit Japan before the end of this year. They may also meet on the sidelines of international conferences, including a summit of the 21-member APEC forum in the South Korean city of Busan on Nov 18-19.

South Korea and Japan are key trading partners and have closely cooperated in efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions. A new round of multilateral talks on the North's nuclear issue is scheduled for early next month.

Meanwhile, North Korea said yesterday the US military presence in South Korea was a cancer, adding the withdrawal of US troops was needed to secure a deal at six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

North Korea has in the past attached conditions to implementing a deal such as demanding a civilian reactor up front before it scraps its atomic weapons programs.

In a report in its official media yesterday, North Korea said removing US troops from the Korean peninsula was fundamental for progress at the next round, saying the troops were part of Washington's plans to take North Korea by force.

There are about 32,500 US troops in South Korea. The North has demanded for years they be taken off the peninsula. Washington has pledged not to attack North Korea and is reducing its troop contingent but has no plans to pull out completely.

Last month, at six-party talks in Beijing, North Korea agreed in principle to dismantle its nuclear programs in exchange for economic assistance, security guarantees and greater diplomatic recognition. Washington and others said conditions, such as the civilian reactor up front, were not part of the outline deal.
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