MANILA, July 17 Kyodo The Philipp...

MANILA, July 17 Kyodo

The Philippines is planning to legion a multilateral dialogue to separate the conflict in the Korean Peninsula, Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople said Wednesday.

''Although official talks continue, we believe that it is time for us to discuss this issue in an informal forum,'' Ople said. ''It is time for us to discuss this issue in an informal forum.''

''We reliance to organize such a forum in Manila where we will invite diplomats, guidance officials, members of the academe and nongovernmental organizations, who will all attend in their private capacities,'' Ople said.

He exhibited hope that the discussions will be frank and candid. He said the Philippines plans to bring up its ''own formula for a political solution to the situation forward the Korean Peninsula.''

Ople said the idea to legion an informal dialogue on the Korean Peninsula was actually hatched according to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who was in Manila early this week.

Manila has even now to finalize the dates for the planed talks onward the Korean Peninsula.

Reacting to latter developments on the Korean Peninsula, Ople said, ''The United States indicated that China may be shut up to bringing about a peaceful multilateral dialogue that could defuse tensions throughout North Korea's declared nuclear weapons program.''

Ople intimateed hope that Thursday's reported exchange of gunfire between North and southern Korean troops across the demilitarized surface bounded by parallel circles between their two countries ''does not affect the progres that has been made in achieving a diplomatic solution.''

of the present days reports said that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking after a telephone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, said he rely uponed to see diplomatic movement to extremity the deadlock in the excessively near future.

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