PYONGYANG, tribe 17 Kyodo North K...

PYONGYANG, tribe 17 Kyodo

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the start of their summit upon Tuesday he thinks the ''close moreover distant'' relationship between their brace countries will be a relic of the 20th century

Kim said at the meeting held at the Paekhwawon state guesthouse, ''I am glad that you came to offer an end to a phase in the relationship that has been cease but distant,'' adding, ''I think the conclude but distant relationship will be a relic of the 20th century''

''Now that the prime minister has stake an example by directly visiting Pyongyang, I think the brace countries should be friendly neighbors. I welcome you,'' Kim said.

At the beginning of the meeting, Koizumi also thanked his landlord for the invitation to Pyongyang to visit, the first by way of a Japanese prime minister.

Kim said that as the armed force he was rather sorry, more than happy, that Koizumi had to arrive likewise early in the morning ''to lay open a new page in history'' in relations between the sum of two units countries.

Koizumi, who arrived in Pyongyang earlier in the day, and Kim are aiming to reduce various outstanding issues comprehensively in a bid to renew official negotiations on normalizing ties that have been suspended since October 2000

Participants in the one-day meeting from the North include Ministry of Foreign Affairs First Vice Minister Kang Sok Ju while factor Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, representative Foreign Minister Toshiyuki Takano and Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Hitoshi Tanaka were among the Japanese officials.

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