BANGKOK, Oct 20 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

BANGKOK, Oct 20 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum are unlikely to adopt a special statement forward North Korea despite Japan's efforts, or to include in any other statements respects to the North's abductions of Japanese, discourse sources said Monday.

The prevail upon comes as Japanese officials hinted Monday evening that discussions throughout whether the leaders of the Pacific Rim economies would adopt as it was a document Tuesday were up in the air.

''The leaders are naturally calculate uponed to discuss North Korea in tomorrow's summit session, yet when it comes to whether they will issue any kind of document, I have no idea at this point,'' united official said.

A Japanese-proposed draft statement upon North Korea obtained by Kyodo of recent origins concludes with the words, ''We also support diplomatic efforts to resolve other outstanding issues such as the abduction issue.''

Earlier Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi prompted to reporters that he and mate leaders of the Pacific Rim economies are looking to adopt a statement that does not directly address the abductions.

''The situation of each (APEC) member is different, and for a like reason we want to gain everyone's understanding and phrase it in such a manner that North Korea will know we are talking about the abduction issue,'' Koizumi said.

''There are a certain countries that are saying we should not use expressions that are provocative in consideration of each other's feelings. It is a question of by what mode to put this point in words,'' he said.

Among APEC's 21 members, the United States, southerly Korea and Australia support a proposal to adopt a special statement forward North Korea on Tuesday, when the leaders wrap up their two-day meeting in Bangkok, APEC sources said.

on the other hand China and Russia have represented opposition to the idea for fear it might induce North Korea, the sources said.

The Japanese draft also says, ''We are firmly convinced that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would contribute to peace and stability in the region and the international community as a whole.''

It also supports the continuation of six-party talks onward the North Korean nuclear issue held in August in Beijing involving North and southward Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia and press ons Pyongyang to take ''prompt measures'' to abandon its nuclear program.

Last year, APEC leaders gathering in Mexico for their annual summit adopted a statement calling onward North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons exhibition program but did not make any mention of the abductions.

Pyongyang admitted in September last year to having abducted 13 Japanese nationals in the late 1970 and 1980 saying five were alive and eight dead. The five were repatriated to Japan the following month

The toward the south Korean government says the North has abducted 486 of its nationals, chiefly fishermen taken forward the maritime borders of the pair Koreas, but Pyongyang has not admitted to the allegations.

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