(LEAD) G-20 agreed to cooperate in aiding quake-hit Haiti: Lee

(ATTN: CHANGES slug, headline, lead; UPDATES with president's comments in paras 2-4)
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Friday
members of the G-20 group of advanced nations have agreed to "closely cooperate"
in aiding Haiti, where as many as 50,000 people are thought to have died in a
massive quake.

He also said that this year's G-20 summit may help bolster efforts to break North
Korea's diplomatic isolation.
"(Leaders of) The G-20 countries have not actually met, but contacted one another
and agreed to aide Haiti," the president said in a meeting with the leaders of
South Korea's top 30 conglomerates. "I believe the incident calls for
international attention in restoring the country and saving lives."
The South Korean government on Thursday sent a 35-member disaster assistance team
and supplies worth US$1 million to the quake-stricken Caribbean state, while
another 7-member team for medical support was also dispatched Friday. Some 70
South Koreans were residing in the country when the 7.0 earthquake hit the
country on Wednesday, but all of them have been confirmed safe.
The powerful earthquake is said to have destroyed thousands of buildings and
homes, with tens of thousands of bodies still buried in the rubble. The United
Nations has so far prohibited the entrance of foreign reporters to the country,
warning of possible dangerous aftershocks.
Meanwhile, Lee said this year's summit of the world's 20 advanced economies,
slated to be held in Seoul in November, is expected to help with efforts to end
North Korea's diplomatic isolation.
"South Korea believes the G-20's role is of importance in a variety of
development policies for North Korea when it gives up its nuclear weapons and
begins to cooperate," the president said in the meeting of business leaders. "The
G-20 will be helpful in various ways."
South Korea is also the co-chair for the newest round of the world's premier
forum on economic cooperation.
Lee also said South Korean officials plan to visit developing nations that are
not participating in the summit to ensure their voices are heard.
"It is also important for the G-20 to listen to the opinions of private firms
around the world," he said.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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