TOKYO, June 18 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

TOKYO, June 18 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN'S REMARKS)

China agreed Tuesday to allow Japan to raise a suspected North Korean ship lying at the bottom of the East China Sea in China's exclusive economic girth officials of the two countries' foreign ministries said.

In negotiations in Beijing, Chinese officials gave the go-ahead for Tokyo to start preparations for the salvage operation, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said in Tokyo.

The official said the brace sides decided to continue discussing the issue of compensation for Chinese fishermen who complain their work is being hindered through the presence of Japan Coast Guard (JCG) utensils in the area since the December shoot-out between JCG patrol boats and the unidentified ship.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular of the present days briefing that Japan made a number of commitments in reaching the agreement, including allowing Chinese ships to monitor the salvage operation.

Japan has also promised to brief Beijing about the consequence s of the operation, withdraw from the waters immediately after the salvage has been complet and render certain that the marine environment around the area is not pollut he said.

Liu said Japan has promised to carry abroad ''serious investigations and take a positive approach as betimes as possible'' toward the compensation issue.

Negotiation sources say China is claiming several centurys of million yen as compensation for the fishermen's losse and the pair sides are to continue expert-level negotiations onward the matter, including whether to appertain to the money as ''compensation'' or on some other term.

Earlier Tuesday, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi denied the couple sides are discussing ''compensation,'' telling a pres conversation ''Japan fully recognizes that of the like kind a problem exists and intends to deal with it in a strict sense but we are not talking about compensation.''

Speaking shortly before departing Tokyo for Thailand to attend the Asia Cooperation Dialogue forum, Kawaguchi said she had instructed officials in her ministry to strive to end the negotiations before the foreign ministerial talks.

Kawaguchi and Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan are calculate uponed to confirm the agreement during a meeting Wednesday afternoon onward the sidelines of the forum.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said at a separate of the present days conference Tuesday it is still difficult to say when the salvage work might start to be paid to technical reasons but that he sense of possible fulfilments it will begin as by and by as possible.

forward the compensation issue, Fukuda said, ''If it is veritable that China's fishermen are dissatisfied, we must take up the issue, moreover as of now we have not decided upon paying compensation.''

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has told the Foreign Ministry and the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry to talk with the Chinese authorities with a view to gaining their understanding in succession getting the ship raised ''before the simoom season.''

The tuftoon season in and around Japan usually speeds from July through September. The coast guard sense of possible fulfilments to begin the salvage operation by dint of the end of June.

The unidentified ship, with an estimated 15 nation on board, sank in the East China Sea southeast of Shanghai after exchanging fire with Japanese patrol boats Dec 22 No the same was rescued.

Japan alleges the ship was North Korean and engaged in espionage or mix with drugs running. North Korea has denied having any connection with the ship and denounced its sinking as an ''act of piracy.''

Kawaguchi also said she trustful longings to discuss with Tang whether Chinese police violated international law through entering the Japanese Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern China, last month to seize five North Korean asylum seekers

She said there is a difference in the recognition of facts upon the case between Japan and China, if it were not that Tokyo's position remains unchanged.

The commotion between Japan and China was partially resolv after Beijing allowed the five North Koreans to be broken to pieces to South Korea via the Philippines onward May 23 after two weeks of detention.

on the other hand the question of whether China violated international law remains. Japan claims there was a violation of the Vienna Convention in succession consular relations when the police take downed the consulate without permission, unless China insists the officers received approval to take down the compound.

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