Greetings to Kim Jong Il from diplomatic envoys
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- Foreign diplomatic envoys in Korea sent floral baskets, gifts and letters to General Secretary Kim Jong Il on the occasion of the first anniversary Of his election as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and the 53rd WPK birthday.
The baskets, gifts and letters were handed to officials concerned by diplomatic envoys of Cambodia, Laos, Libya, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Indonesia and Yemen.
Kim Jong Il also received a congratulatory letter from the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme.
Floral basket to WPK Central Committee from Chinese Party
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea received a basket of flowers from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the occasion of the 53rd WPK birthday.
The basket was handed to an official concerned by Chinese ambassador to Korea Wan Yongxiang on Friday.
9th national games opens
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- The 9th national games opened here.
The games include basketball, football and other ball events, field and track events, combat sports and athletic events, defence and folk sports events.
Competitions will be held at stadiums in Pyongyang and local areas from October 9, divided into professional and amateur groups.
An opening ceremony took place at Kim Il Sung Stadium on Friday. Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee Kim Jung Rin and officials concerned were present.
Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Pak Myong Chol in an opening address said that the national games will mark an important occasion in popularizing sports and making it a part of daily life and in develolping sports technique.
Anniversary of Denmark-DPRK Friendship Association marked
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- A friendship gathering was held at Moranbong Senior Middle School No.1 on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Denmark-DPRK Friendship Association.
Invited to the gathering were members of the association's delegation led by chairman Anders Kristensen.
The guests went round educational facilities of the school and saw an art performance of its pupils.
We can no longer pin our hope only on agreement
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- U.S. hardline conservatives voted down the budget for providing heavy oil to the DPRK and are now attempting to stop food aid, a humanitarian issue.
And behind the curtain of the DPRK-U.S. negotiations they are reinforcing the U.S. troops in South Korea, intensifying war exercises with the South Korean authorities dispatching carriers to the Korean East Sea and sending warhawks to Seoul and Tokyo for war confabs, in a bid to stifle the DPRK by force of arms.
In another development, they are putting spurs to the establishment of the system of "theatre missile defence," branding the DPRK's launch of satellite as "missile threat".
The U.S. moves illustrate that they still have an ambition to stifle the DPRK by force of arms by weakening the DPRK's strength behind the screen while clamouring for negotiations, stresses Rodong Sinmun in a commentary today.
Under the circumstances we can no longer pin our hope only on the DPRK-U.S. framework agreement, says the commentary.
It goes on:
We have nothing to be afraid of, even though the DPRK-U.S. framework agreement is repealed. And we cannot allow our sovereignty to be encroached upon, bound by it. It is a legitimate exercise of sovereignty to do what we should.
Whether the DPRK-U.S. agreement is implemented or not depends entirely on the attitude of U.S. hardline conservatives.
Palestinian ambassador to Korea gives party
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- Ahaher Mohammed Abdulah, Palestinian ambassador to Korea, gave a party at the embassy on Friday on the occasion of the first anniversary of Kim Jong Il's election as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and the 53rd birthday of the WPK.
Invited to the party were Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, and officials concerned.
The ambassador said in his speech that he remembered the President Kim Il Sung, the founder of the WPK, who had wisely led the Korean people to vigorously advance for a bright future and reunification of the motherland.
After socialism collapsed in some countries, the DPRK remains as an invulnerable bulwark and a bright beacon for the world people who aspire after justice, peace and independence and the beacon will light their way ahead, he said.
He expressed firm belief that the Korean people will smash the enemy's moves and win victory under the guidance of Kim Jong Il.
Speaking next, Kim Jung Rin said that the Palestine Liberation Organization and people are now undauntedly fighting against the anti-peace moves and for retaking the legitimate national rights of Palestine under the leadership of President Yasser Arafat.
The Korean people will invariably support the just cause and struggle of the Palestinian people in the future, too, he said.
He emphasized that Korea will make every possible effort to further develop the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two peoples in the idea of independence, peace and friendship.
Party given by Chinese ambassador
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- Chinese ambassador to Korea Wan Yongxiang gave a party at the embassy on Oct. 9 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the formation of the friendship associations of Korea and China.
Invited to the party were Kim Su Hak, Minister of Public Health and concurrently chairman of the Korea-China Friendship Association Central Committee, and other officials concerned .
Embassy officials, a delegation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China-Korea Friendship Association and other Chinese guests were present.
Speeches were made there.
Japan's colonial rule over Korea denied
Pyongyang, October 10 (KCNA) -- At a high-ranking officials' meeting of the Japan Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday, some persons reportedly made remarks denying the past colonial rule of Japan over Korea and refusing to make an apology for it.
Former director general of the management and coordination agency, said that there was "no colonial rule by Japan" and it is strange to raise this issue.
Since the issue "has already been settled" it is the "best diplomacy" not to deal with it, he added.
Former Foreign Minister Nakayama, too, opposed to making an apology for Japan's past crimes, saying that "it is wrong to recall the past all the time."
This attitude of the Japanese reactionaries, who deny the bloody and criminal aggression and evade making a governmental apology and compensation for it, is arousing curses and condemnation from the world people.
Foreign Ministry spokesman on Syria-Turkey dispute
He told KCNA:
A very strained situation that may lead to armed conflict is prevailing between Syria and Turkey, following the recent ultimatum of Turkey that it would attack the military base of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in Syria, which it says supports the armed activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party that hurt the national interests of Turkey.
We are watching with deep apprehension the aggravation of tensions between the two countries because it threatens peace and security in the two countries, the middle east and the rest of the world.
At a time when the world attention focuses on the middle east with the peace process being at a standstill, any attempt to settle the dispute by force of arms can never be a true solution and will result in aggravating the tensions in this region.
We have consistently called for finding a negotiated solution to disputes between nations. Now we demand military threat to Syria be stopped immediately.
We hope that the dispute between Syria and Turkey will soon be settled peacefully through dialogue in the interest of the two peoples and peace in the middle east.