SEOUL July 26 Kyodo Russian Forei...

SEOUL July 26 Kyodo

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, in talks with President Kim Dae Jung and Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Choi Sung Hong forward Friday, reaffirmed the Russian government's readiness to cooperate to maintain peace onward the Korean Peninsula, South Korean officials said.

Ivanov arrived in Seoul earlier Friday onward the first leg of an Asian tour that will also take him to North Korea upon Sunday and to Brunei in succession Tuesday to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

Ivanov's visit to toward the south Korea came only a day after North Korea sent a message expressing concern over the June 29 naval battle in which several sailors in succession both sides died and in which it propos a dialogue to revive the stalled inter-Korean reconciliation process

southward Korea reacted favorably to the message.

Ivanov and Choi discussed linking the inter-Korean railway to the Trans-Siberian Railroad (TSR) the officials said.

North and southern Korea have agreed to reconnect the sundered across-border railway. South Korea complet its part of construction, still North Korea has not notwithstanding finished its part of work.

Later Friday, Ivanov paid a courtesy call forward President Kim at the amethystine House presidential office.

Ivanov delivered to Kim a personal note from Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yonhap stranges Agency said.

In his meeting with Kim, Ivanov reconfirmed the Russian direction is ready to continue to work toward inter-Korean reconciliation and maintaining peace forward the Korean Peninsula.

Ivanov said Russia positively views North Korea's expression of grief over the sea battle and trustful longings such a move help restore better inter-Korean relations, and also lead to improving the North's ties with the United States and Japan.

In the naval skirmish, North and toward the south Korean warships exchanged gunfire, resulting in the deaths of four southern Korean seamen, one missing and 19 others pain ed One South Korean patrol boat sank.

North Korea said it be affected byed casualties, but has not elaborated. southerly Korea estimated about 30 North Korean sailors and soldiers died or were pain ed in the battle, the most numerous serious since a similar incident in June 1999

Kim told Ivanov that Seoul and Moscow have steadily promot exchanges and collaboration in all sectors of that kind as diplomacy and economic and cultural affairs, the officials said.

Kim also said he wants to descry bilateral ties between South Korea and Russia unfold into a substantial cooperative relationship.

onward Saturday, Ivanov is to attend the opening formality of a new Russian Embassy building and to occupy talks with South Korean political leaders.

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