ID :
55826
Thu, 04/16/2009 - 19:02
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/55826
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean FM due in Tokyo for Pakistan assistance forum
By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan was to
leave for Tokyo Thursday to meet his Japanese counterpart and attend an
international meeting on aiding Pakistan, his ministry said.
"Minister Yu is scheduled to hold a dinner meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister
Hirofumi Nakasone today and attend a ministerial meeting on Pakistan tomorrow,"
ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
Yu is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Taro Aso on Friday
afternoon before flying back home on Saturday, he added.
The donors meeting for Pakistan, co-hosted by Japan and the World Bank, is aimed
at discussing ways to help the country address its difficult challenges, such as
the economic crisis and the fight against terrorism,
The one-day event will draw representatives from more than 20 nations including
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardali and U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, U.S.
special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"During the conference, Minister Yu will brief other participants on South
Korea's plan for supporting Pakistan," a ministry official said.
The government plans to provide Pakistan with roughly US$150 million over the
next three years, he added.
Stabilizing Pakistan's economy and political situation has gained urgency amid
reports that Taliban insurgents are increasingly camped in border areas with
Afghanistan.
The U.S. administration of President Barack Obama is seeking to bring Pakistan to
its side in its troubled counter-terrorism campaign.
Meanwhile, Holbrooke arrived in Seoul earlier Thursday en route to Tokyo. He had
a meeting with the South Korean minister.
"They exchanged opinions on the general issue of Pakistan and Afghanistan," the
spokesman said.
South Korea is pushing to raise the number of its workers in Afghanistan to more
than 90.
Currently, two dozen medical staff and vocational training experts work at the
U.S. Air Force Base in Bagram, about 80km north of Kabul to assist the U.S.
Provincial Reconstruction Team. They were deployed to make up for the 2007
withdrawal of South Korea's 200-strong team of military medics and engineers.
Some South Korean officials cautiously raise the need for sending troops to
Afghanistan again, while others say it is still premature to discuss the
politically sensitive issue.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan was to
leave for Tokyo Thursday to meet his Japanese counterpart and attend an
international meeting on aiding Pakistan, his ministry said.
"Minister Yu is scheduled to hold a dinner meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister
Hirofumi Nakasone today and attend a ministerial meeting on Pakistan tomorrow,"
ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.
Yu is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Taro Aso on Friday
afternoon before flying back home on Saturday, he added.
The donors meeting for Pakistan, co-hosted by Japan and the World Bank, is aimed
at discussing ways to help the country address its difficult challenges, such as
the economic crisis and the fight against terrorism,
The one-day event will draw representatives from more than 20 nations including
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardali and U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke, U.S.
special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"During the conference, Minister Yu will brief other participants on South
Korea's plan for supporting Pakistan," a ministry official said.
The government plans to provide Pakistan with roughly US$150 million over the
next three years, he added.
Stabilizing Pakistan's economy and political situation has gained urgency amid
reports that Taliban insurgents are increasingly camped in border areas with
Afghanistan.
The U.S. administration of President Barack Obama is seeking to bring Pakistan to
its side in its troubled counter-terrorism campaign.
Meanwhile, Holbrooke arrived in Seoul earlier Thursday en route to Tokyo. He had
a meeting with the South Korean minister.
"They exchanged opinions on the general issue of Pakistan and Afghanistan," the
spokesman said.
South Korea is pushing to raise the number of its workers in Afghanistan to more
than 90.
Currently, two dozen medical staff and vocational training experts work at the
U.S. Air Force Base in Bagram, about 80km north of Kabul to assist the U.S.
Provincial Reconstruction Team. They were deployed to make up for the 2007
withdrawal of South Korea's 200-strong team of military medics and engineers.
Some South Korean officials cautiously raise the need for sending troops to
Afghanistan again, while others say it is still premature to discuss the
politically sensitive issue.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)
