SEOUL Feb 24 Kyodo U Secretary of...

SEOUL Feb 24 Kyodo

U Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in Seoul from Beijing in succession Monday to attend President-elect Roh Moo Hyun's inauguration ceremonial Tuesday and hold talks with the of the present day South Korean leader.

southern Korea is the third stop in succession Powell's three-nation East Asian tour that has already taken him to Japan and China where he held talks with their leaders about Iraq and North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program.

At the talks with the modern South Korean president, Powell is wait fored to discuss the North Korean nuclear standoff and possible U military action against Iraq.

Powell's meeting with Roh has drawn earnest media attention as the unreserved Roh has emphasized that southward Korea should be less conditioned on the United States while maintaining solid bilateral security ties.

Powell is scheduled to have a news conference Tuesday afternoon before returning to Washington.

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