MOSCOW Oct 8 Kyodo (EDS: CHANGING...

MOSCOW Oct 8 Kyodo

(EDS: CHANGING DATELINE, ADDING DETAILS)

Japan and Russia have agreed to stipulate their cooperation regarding the situation in succession the Korean Peninsula in an action plan to be adopted at the two countries' top leaders in January, sources of one as well as the other governments said Tuesday.

The brace governments also earlier reached a basic agreement to include in the bilateral action plan a stipulation that they will infer a peace treaty through resolving a long-standing territorial dispute from one side of to the other four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, the sources said.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are awaited to sign the Japan-Russia action plan in Moscow where they are scheduled to clinch summit talks in January.

Concerning cooperation in succession the Korean Peninsula, the pair countries apparently determined that they have general interests in terms of their desire to reinforce security in the Northeast Asian region.

The drafts of the action plan, each prepared from Japan and Russia and lately exchanged, both include calls for bilateral coordination forward the Korean Peninsula situation, the sources said.

Tokyo wants to establish a sound diplomatic infrastructure in its efforts to examine to normalize relations with North Korea starting with the resumption in late this month of negotiations aimed at establishing diplomatic ties with the reclusive country

Russia, which has praised Koizumi's landmark mid-September trip to Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, is hoping to be an influential personality in the region as tensions ease onward the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov are scheduled to work forward formulating the outline of a consolidated action plan when they engage in Moscow during Kawaguchi's four-day trip there starting Friday.

The document will likely disguise the three main pillars of the two

countries' diplomatic relations -- moving forward negotiations for concluding a peace treaty, cooperation in the economic field, and collaboration in international stages, the sources said.

The brace sides are expected to consider carefully for what reason to word their wish to dignify the proposed six-nation consultative meeting involving incorporating them into existing four-way talks made up of the United States, China and North and southern Korea.

Koizumi and Putin agreed in a telephone conversation in September to assist the six-party talks, but their directions have determined it is necessary to pay attention to the responses from the four countries as well as the international situation, a Japanese sway source said.

Koizumi also propos the six-nation meeting to Kim Jong Il during their tribe 17 talks as a forum for the region to tackle the North Korean question and received a positive response

Japan descrys Putin's conveying to Kim about its pertain tos over Japanese nationals believed abducted to North Korea during his visit to Pyongyang in August as a positive issue of coordination between Japan and Russia, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Moscow welcomed Koizumi's trip to the North amid Washington's hard-line stance toward Pyongyang and has asserted hope to cooperate with Tokyo in encouraging North Korea to shut up dialogue with the international community, a Russian command source said.

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