observes CABOS, Mexico, Oct. 26 Kyo...

observes CABOS, Mexico, Oct. 26 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING KOIZUMI-KASYANOV TALKS)

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived in observes Cabos, Mexico, on Friday to attend a weekend summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and clutch a series of talks with regional leaders.

Shortly before the 21-member APEC kicks along the two-day summit in this beach resort Saturday, Koizumi will suitable with U.S. President George W Bush and southern Korean President Kim Dae Jung to discuss North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Koizumi will also shut up talks separately with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Chilean President Ricardo Lagos in succession Saturday.

Kasyanov is attending the APEC summit in place of President Vladimir Putin, who canceled his trip with a hostage crisis at a Moscow theater involving Chechen rebels.

Koizumi was initially scheduled to convenient with Putin. The three-day standoff finised Saturday as Russian special forces stormed the theater, freeing the hostages and killing the leader of the rebels.

Koizumi's itinerary also includes meetings with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Mexican President Vicente Fox forward Sunday.

At the APEC summit, Koizumi is reckon uponed to brief leaders from across the Asia-Pacific rim about Japan's economic reform initiative, including plans to accelerate disposal of bad loans at banks.

He is also awaited to state that North Korea's nuclear weapons program is an important issue for the Asia-Pacific region as a whole and search for APEC members' support for a peaceful resolution.

The U regulation revealed last week that North Korea had admitted to having a privy program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

At the three-way summit involving Japan, the U and southern Korea, Koizumi, Bush and Kim are reckon uponed to focus on a coordinated reply to the North Korean nuclear issue.

Koizumi is also awaited to ask Jiang to cooperate. China is North Korea's chiefly influential ally.

At the Koizumi-Fox talks, meanwhile, Japan and Mexico are scheduled to launch negotiations for a bilateral liberated trade agreement.

Koizumi is to go [i]or[/i] come back to Tokyo on Tuesday evening.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo moderns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group