Greetings to Chadian President
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Idris Deby on June 1 on his reelection as President of the Republic of Chad.
Expressing the belief that the friendly relations between the two countries would continue to develop on good terms, the message wished the president and people of Chad greater successes in their work for political stability and prosperity of the country.
Greetings to Congolese President
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 3 on the occasion of his birthday.
Congratulating him on his 30th birthday, the message expressed the belief that the good friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries would continue developing favourably.
It wished the president a great success in his work to achieve national reconciliation and defend sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Greetings to Ukrainian prime minister
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Hong Song Nam, premier of the DPRK cabinet, sent a message of greetings to Anatoly Kinakh, on his appointment as prime minister of Ukraine.
The message expressed the belief that the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries will continue to develop on good terms and wished the prime minister a success in his work for the prosperity of the country.
U.S. plans to step up arms buildup against DPRK
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- A senior official of the U.S. Defense Department reportedly said at a press interview on May 31 that the U.S. might deploy aegis ships on the high seas off the East Sea of Korea any time if necessary.
He noted that the U.S. has conducted exercises on the high seas off the East Sea of Korea and has right to operate there in the future, too.
Though there were some reports that the U.S. plan to deploy aegis ships on the East Sea of Korea by the year 2003 under the pretext of "coping with the missile threat from North Korea" and others was under examination, this is the first time that such senior official disclosed that the U.S. might deploy the ships any time.
This indicates to what dangerous and adventurous moves the U.S. bellicose quarters are resorting to stifle the DPRK.
DPRK's principled stand on U.S. approach to dialogue clarified
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, today in a signed commentary explicitly clarifies the DPRK's principled stand on the Bush administration's wrong approach and modality towards the DPRK-U.S. dialogue.
The commentary says:
According to diplomatic sources from Washington, the United States asserts that it will pursue only business-like political negotiations even though the dialogue with the DPRK is resumed while maintaining its "basic hard-line stand towards the DPRK".
Negatively reviewing the DPRK-U.S. dialogue held in the period of the previous administration on the basis of falsified facts, the Bush ruling team seeks to lead the DPRK-U.S. dialogue which it wants to resume from a "hard-line negotiating stand" and justify it. This shows that it is not truly willing to have a dialogue with the DPRK.
"Hard-line negotiation" and "leadership" are unacceptable to the DPRK.
It is the DPRK's unchangeable stand to seek a negotiated settlement of the issues between the DPRK and the United States.
It is a very wrong logic for the U.S. ruling quarters to talk about a "hard-line negotiating stand".
The Bush administration insists that the DPRK respond to a dialogue to be held at a time and place appointed by it.
This high-handed behaviour rubs the DPRK up the wrong way.
The DPRK does not have even the slightest intention to resume the dialogue with the U.S., allowing its pride to be damaged.
It is the DPRK's demand and stand that the DPRK and the U.S. should have a dialogue on an equal footing on the principle of independence and impartiality if the latter wishes to have it.
There should be neither selfish motive nor precondition as far as a dialogue is concerned. If the administration seeks a conditional dialogue with the DPRK, a dialogue aimed at disarming it, talking about "verification," "cutdown of conventional forces", "inspection" and the like, the DPRK has no interest in such a dialouge. Its practice of putting a precondition on the DPRK-U.S. dialogue is, in fact, a reflection of its stand of denying it.
It is preposterous for the administration to impose its unilateral unjust conditions upon the DPRK before reaching any agreement with it.
The DPRK does not care about whether it has any dialogue with the United States or not. Even if the dialogue is not resumed, the DPRK will have nothing to worry about or to lose. It will never beg the U.S. for a dialogue.
The United States should have a right approach to the dialogue before discussing the issue related to the dialouge with it. Everything depends on the United States. the ball is in its court. The U.S. is well advised to bear this in mind and approach the DPRK from a right stand on the dialogue.
The DPRK will have its independent option, closely following Washington's attitude.
S. Korean unionists' struggle against lay-off goes on
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- The South Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held big rallies in different parts of Seoul on June 2 demanding the passage of the bill on the improvement of people's living through the "national assembly" and others, according to radio no. 1 from Seoul.
Over 2,000 members of the KCTU staged a rally in front of the building of the "labour-management-government committee" in Seoul that day at which they charged that the "assembly" does not deal with the bill.
They threatened to go on a simultaneous solidarity strike all over South Korea on June 12 as part of the anti-"government" struggle unless their demands for the carriage of the bill, suspension of restructuring and lay-off and others are met.
At the end of the rally its participants marched through streets, chanting slogans such as "no lay-off."
In another development, that day more than 500 members of the KCTU staged a demonstration in protest against the sale of Daewoo Motor Company to foreign business.
Talks held between foreign ministers of DPRK and Malaysia
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Talks between foreign minister of the DPRK Paek Nam Sun and his Malaysian counterpart Tatuk sri Syed Hamid Albar were held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
At the talks, both sides informed each other of the situation in their countries and exchanged views on the issue of further developing the bilateral friendly relations and a series of matters of mutual concern.
Malaysian foreign minister here
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Tatuk sri Syed Hamid Albar, foreign minister of Malaysia, and his party arrived here today.
They were greeted at the airport by Pak Kil Yon, vice-minister of foreign affairs, and officials concerned.
DPRK hard hit by long spell of drought and heat
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is hard hit by an unprecedentedly long spell of drought.
An unusual long spell of drought has persisted for 90 days since early March, according to information released by the central weather forecasting institute of the hydrometeorological bureau.
According to a historical record, drought lasted for 90 days from July 11 to October 11, 1727, the longest one in Korea, causing tremendous losses to crops, livestock and human lives.
From the climatological point of view this long spell of drought is something rare in the history of meteorological observation. It is believed to happen once in 1,000 years.
From early march to this date precipitation in all parts of the country registered at 18. 3 mm on an average, only 11 percent of the annual average and 17 percent of last year's.
A 1 mm rainfall was registered in 5 days and about 5 mm rainfall in 2 days in Pyongyang.
Heat is frequently recorded.
The temperature in Pyongyang at noon on April 9 was 24. 6 degrees centigrade, 25. 4 in Sariwon, 25. 6 in Haeju and 27.
9 in Kaesong, 10-13 degrees higher than the annual average which means an all-time high in meteorological observation.
Strong wind 11-18 m/s hit the areas on the west coast including Pyongyang, Haeju, Sariwon and Kaesong from March 7 to 9 and strong wind 10-14 m/s struck many areas on the east and west coasts including Haeju and Thongchon on April 1, 2, 13, 15, 23, 24 and 26. as a result, soil in all parts of the country remained dry up to over 20 cm deep, making it hardly possible for seeds to sprout.
According to a preliminary estimate made by the ministry of agriculture as of June 1, hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland are hard hit by drought, taking the country as a whole. Over 80 or 90 percent of the sown seeds of potato, wheat, barley and maize have already been dried up.
Strong wind did severe damage to Kosong county, Kangwon Province, Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, Haeju, South Hwanghae Province, Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province, and other areas.
Crops including potato, wheat, barley and maize sown in a large area of farmland there were rooted out and all the fruits at their best including apricot, peach and plum fell down.
Despite the state's measures to mobilize all pumping equipment and manpower for minimizing drought damage, it still persists.
The drought is expected to last for more days to come.
Yang Hyong Sop meets delegation of Spanish Foreign Ministry
Pyongyang, June 4 (KCNA) -- Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and had a conversation with the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain led by Miquel Nadal, its secretary of state, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Present there was Choe Su Hon, vice-minister of foreign affairs.
The head of the delegation said that his delegation is the first political delegation to visit the DPRK after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, adding that the bilateral relations would comprehensively develop in various fields in the days ahead.
Saying that the Korean peninsula is situated in a geopolitically important place, he noted that the European Union shows deep concern to the Korean peninsula and supports the reunification process in Korea.
On the same day foreign minister Paek Nam Sun met and had a conversation with the delegation when it paid a courtesy visit to him at the Mansudae Assembly Hall.