S. Korean deputy foreign minister to attend Afghan-Pakistan meeting

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Yong-joon
will embark on a three-nation trip to the Middle East this week to attend a
special meeting on assistance for war-torn nations in the region and seek ways to
improve diplomatic relations with countries there, a spokesman for Seoul's
foreign ministry said Thursday.

The deputy foreign minister will leave Saturday for Jordan where he will stay for
three days for talks with his counterpart Mohammad Ali Sraj on possible nuclear
energy cooperation between their countries, according to the ministry spokesman,
Kim Young-sun.
South Korea was named one of just a few negotiating partners late last year for
the sale of an experimental nuclear reactor to Jordan.
"Deputy minister Lee will also meet with Khaled Toukan, chairman of the Jordan
Atomic Energy Commission, to discuss possible ways that the two countries can
cooperate on the planned construction of commercial nuclear reactors in Jordan,"
the ministry spokesman said in a press release.
Lee will fly to the United Arab Emirates early next week to attend the Meeting of
Special Representatives for Afghanistan and Pakistan, where envoys from 28 donor
nations from around the world will gather to discuss support for the
insurgent-ridden nations.
South Korea currently has dozens of workers in Afghanistan as part of an
international provincial reconstruction team (PRT), and plans to increase the
number to about 120 with a force of some 350 soldiers to protect the civilian
workers this year.
A ministerial meeting to discuss financial and diplomatic support for Afghanistan
is slated to be held in London on Jan. 28.
Lee will visit Nepal from Wednesday for talks with the country's foreign minister
Sujata Koirala and Vice Foreign Minister Madan Kumar Bhattarai on ways to
increase their countries' bilateral cooperation.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)

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