South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon embarked Sunday on a two-week trip to Qatar, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa and the United States.
In the Qatari capital of Doha, Ban will attend the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) that gets underway Tuesday for a two-day run.
The annual conference brings together top diplomats from 28 Asian and Middle Eastern nations for the main purpose of promoting economic cooperation in the regions.
Ban also plans to use the forum to exchange views on the North Korean nuclear crisis and seek measures to mend strained ties between Seoul and Tokyo.
Ban is scheduled to have bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso on Tuesday, their first get-together since the two neighboring countries narrowly avoided a sea clash over the South Korean islets of Dokdo last month.
Few analysts expect the foreign ministers' talks to immediately warm chilled ties, but Seoul officials say the meeting could possibly lead to a breakthrough later if Japan appears sincere ahead of next month's resumption of negotiations on the boundaries of the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
"I will urge Japan to join the discussions with a clear precondition that Dokdo is part of South Korea's territory and is therefore not subject to EEZ negotiations," Ban told reporters at Incheon International Airport prior to his departure.
The tumultuous ties between Seoul and Tokyo have hit their lowest ebb in recent years with Japan announcing a plan last month to conduct a hydrographic survey in the waters near the South Korean-controlled islets in the East Sea, apparently as part of its efforts to claim Dokdo.
South Korea vowed to block the plan at any cost, calling it "trespassing." The two sides managed to patch up the high-seas crisis through a last-minute deal as Japan scrapped its survey plan, but their relations remain volatile amid different interpretations of their shared history and Japan's continued attempts to claim Dokdo.
In the eyes of many South Koreans, Japan is unrepentant about its militaristic past. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated pilgrimage to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo is only interpreted as further proof of this. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun cut off his biannual summit with the Japanese leader in protest against the visits.
The South Korean foreign minister will also have one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from China, Russia and several other nations.
His talks with Chinese and Russian officials will likely focus on the North Korean nuclear issue. China and Russia, along with the United States, Japan, and the two Koreas, are among the participants in the six-way talks to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear arms program.
After the ACD, Ban plans to make a series of trips to Tanzania, Rwanda and South Africa to strengthen South Korea's ties with the African nations.
He will fly to New York on May 31 to attend the United Nations consultation session on HIV, followed by a visit to Washington, where he will meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The Ban-Rice meeting comes amid reports of Washington's new approach towards the North Korean nuclear crisis.
The New York Times reported last week that President George W.
Bush's advisors proposed the U.S. start a separate track of talks on a peace treaty with North Korea, even while efforts to counter the communist state's nuclear ambitions are underway. The newspaper said Bush is likely to accept the advice.
Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is also reportedly pushing for legislation containing a congressional pledge that the U.S. will provide North Korea with economic aid and guarantee security if it abandons its weapons of mass destruction.
Seoul, May 21 (Yonhap News)
S. Korean Foreigh Minister looks to reconcile with Japan in ACD forum |
