Kim Jong Il visits mass consumption goods factories in Pyongyang
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Leader Kim Jong Il yesterday gave on-site guidance to the tobacco corporation, the Kyongryon Aeguk Cider Factory and the Pyongyang Children's Foodstuff Factory in Pyongyang.
He was accompanied by vice marshal of the Korean People's Army Kim Il Chol, vice-chairman of the NDC of the DPRK and minister of the People's Armed Forces, Kim Kuk Thae, secretary of the c.c., the WPK, vice marshal of the KPA Ri Yong Mu, vice-chairman of the NDC of the DPRK, Jong Ha Chol, director of the propaganda and agitation department of the c.c., the WPK and others.
Kim Jong Il first went to the tobacco corporation in the suburbs of Pyongyang.
After being briefed on the factory, he looked round various production processes to learn in detail about the technical equipment and production there.
He highly appreciated the revolutionary spirit of self-reliance and fortitude displayed by the officials of the party committee of the corporation and its administration and thanked them for it.
Noting that the officials, workers and technicians of the corporation should creditably perform their duties in the spirit of devotedly serving the people in the future, too, he proposed tasks to be carried out to keep production going on at a high rate and improve the quality of goods.
The next leg of his visit was the Kyongryon Aeguk Cider Factory.
He aquainted himself in detail with the production and supply of cider and praised the workers for their intensified drive to boost its production.
He underscored the need to build more cider factories with big production capacities and massproduce various kinds of cider and diverse varieties of fruit syrup including apple and pear juice.
Saying that our country abounds in much mineral water good for health including Kangso Mineral Water, he called for improving the supply of mineral water to the people.
Then he moved on to the Pyongyang Children's Foodstuff Factory.
He learned about details of the production of children's foodstuff and management of the factory, inspecting various production processes such as the bean milk shop.
He was greatly satisfied to learn that the production is going on at a higher rate.
He said that it is a very important issue related to the rise and fall of the country and the destiny of the revolution to bring up our lovely children well as they are the future of the motherland and successors to the revolution, adding that they should be brought up well so that they have nothing more to desire in the world.
He proposed tasks to be implemented by the children's foodstuff factory, underlining the need for it to keep itself in full capacity operation and become the best example in cultured practices in production.
He called for building more similar children's foodstuff factories to provide a sufficient quantity of nutritious and delicious food to all children.
Kim Yong Nam to visit Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, will shortly pay official goodwill visits to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia on the invitation of Tran Duc Luong, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Khamtay Siphandone, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos, and Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia.
Kim Yong Nam greets 37th OAU summit
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, on July 5 sent a message of greetings to the 37th OAU summit.
The message said that the summit would mark a momentous occasion for the African countries to take decisive steps to achieve the peace, progress and prosperity of the continent by jointly meeting the challenges caused by "globalization."
The Korean people highly estimate the concerted efforts exerted by the African people to settle disputes and other political and socio-economic issues and achieve regional stability and progress, it noted.
The government and people of the DPRK will extend full support and firm solidarity to the African people in their just cause to build independent, peaceful and prosperous new Africa, the message stressed. It hoped that the summit would successfully discuss all the agenda items and achieve good results.
Stop to crackdown on labor movement urged in S. Korea
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- More than 1,000 unionists under the (South) Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a rally in Seoul on July 7 in demand of a stop to the suppression of the labor movement, according to Seoul-based MBC.
They said it is crackdown on the labour movement to try to arrest chairman Tan Pyong Ho and executive members of the confederation. They demanded repeal of the mandate for arrest and a stop to crackdown.
They urged a halt to restructuring centered on lay-off and abolition of discrimination against irregular employment and warned that unless their demands are met they will wage a powerful anti-"government" struggle including a struggle of 100,000 unionists to advance into Seoul.
U.S. plans to deploy more units in S. Korea
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The U.S. military is contemplating about the deployment of new units of company and battalion size to operate and support the up-to-date helicopter for special operation "MH-47E" slated to be introduced to South Korea under their long worked out plan, Yonhap News from Seoul reported.
The recently formed "echo" unit under the air brigade for special operation no. 160 which will take charge of the use of the helicopter and battalion no. 607 to support the unit will be deployed in the U.S. bases in Taegu and Kimhae.
Message of solidarity to Syrian foreign minister
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- DPRK foreign minister Paek Nam Sun sent a message of solidarity to Farouq al Shara, minister of foreign affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Upon hearing the news that recently Israel mounted air raids on a Syrian army base in Lebanon in the wake of its repeated threat to the security of Syria, Paek Nam Sun in the message bitterly condemned Israel's grave military provocations against Syria.
The message said:
Israel's reckless threat and blackmail and continued acts of aggression against Syria and Lebanon are disturbing mideast peace and further straining the regional situation.
This is arousing profound concern.
The message sent full support and solidarity to the Syrian government and people in their struggle to defend the country's sovereignty, achieve its territorial integrity and seek a fair settlement of the mideast problem.
Indonesian order awarded to Kim Il Sung
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held at Bung Karno University in Indonesia on July 5 to award Sukarno order to President Kim Il Sung.
The order and certificate were conveyed to the DPRK ambassador to Indonesia by Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, chairman of the Soekarno foundation for education.
Inscribed on the order are words "Sukarno Order to His Excellency Kim Il Sung" and written on the certificate are words "this certificate has been awarded to his excellency kim il sung for his total dedication to humankind, justice and liberation according to the decision of the examination council of the Soekarno foundation for education and the professors council of Bung Karno University."
Message of solidarity to Lebanese minister of foreign affairs and immigrants
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Paek Nam Sun, foreign minister of the DPRK, sent a message of solidarity to Mahmoud Hammoud, minister of foreign affairs and immigrants of Lebanon.
Upon hearing the news that Israel recently committed acts of aggression against various areas including Bekaa valley in Lebanon, Paek Nam Sun in the message expressed deep concern over the daily worsening regional situation and denounced Israel for its continued reckless threat and blackmail and acts of aggression.
Expressing full support and solidarity with the government and people of Lebanon in their struggle for the defence of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the fair settlement of the mideast issue, the message expressed the belief that the unity and solidarity between the peoples of the two countries would grow stronger.
U.S. urged to properly understand DPRK's principled stand towards U.S. proposal
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary denounces the United States for throwing hurdles in the way of the resumption of the DPRK-U.S. dialogue while persistently insisting on the Washington-proposed unilateral, conditional and unacceptable agenda items for the last one month since it proposed the resumption.
On June 19 the U.S. department of state hinted that it "has no intention to change agenda items for the dialogue with the DPRK" and next day U.S. secretary of state Powell said that it would be "difficult to go ahead with a dialogue with the DPRK" without discussing the "issue of deployed conventional military forces" of the DPRK. He pulled up the DPRK over its "missile issue" during his mideast tour.
U.S. assistant secretary of state Kelly came out with a five-point "principle governing the policy towards North Korea" to the effect that any "agreement" with the DPRK requires "verification."
The U.S. raised again the non-existent "issue of kidnapping of Japanese" by the DPRK. And it is kicking off a war racket, working hard to introduce new type of military equipment to South Korea and deploy up-to-date aegis warships in the East Sea of Korea.
This is aimed to delay the resumption of the dialogue by hurting the DPRK's feelings and thus lead the dialogue and negotiations to collapse and shift the responsibility for it onto the DPRK, the commentary notes, and says:
The DPRK has never allowed "verification" and "inspection" as its national defence industry and military forces are vital to it.
It will neither permit "verification" and "inspection" nor accept the demand for the reduction of armed forces in the future, too, but further strengthen them.
The United States should properly understand the DPRK's principled stand.
The "resumption of dialogue" is not a U.S. present to the DPRK.
Even if the DPRK-U.S. dialogue is not resumed, the DPRK will have nothing to be afraid of or to lose. The DPRK has no intention to respond to the U.S. "proposal for the resumption of dialogue" while allowing its dignity to be impaired and its sovereignty to be infringed upon.
If the U.S. has a true will to have a dialogue with the DPRK it should adopt, above all, practical issues related to the implementation of the agreed points of the DPRK-U.S. agreed framework and the DPRK-U.S. joint communique as agenda items for negotiations.
The issue of compensating for the loss of electricity caused by the delay in the U.S. provision of light water reactors to the DPRK should be adopted as the primary agenda item for negotiations.
The DPRK clarifies its principled stand once again that the DPRK-U.S. negotiations should take up, first of all, the U.S. drop of its hostile policy towards the DPRK and the pressing issue of compensating for the loss of electricity.
Greetings to governor-general of Bahamas
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, sent a message of greetings to Orville Alton Turnquest, governor-general of the Bahamas, on July 6 on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of its independence.
The message wished the governor-general and people of the Bahamas success in their work for the prosperity of the country.
Yang Hyong Sop meets Russian ambassador
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, met and conversed with Valery Denisov, Russian ambassador to the DPRK, who paid a farewell visit to him at the Mansudae Assembly Hall today.
Chinese goodwill delegation here
Pyongyang, July 9 (KCNA) -- The Chinese goodwill delegation led by Jiang Chunyun, member of the political bureau of the central committee of the Communist Party of China and vice-chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, arrived here today to participate in celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the DPRK-China treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance.
It was greeted at the airport by minister of Public Health Kim Su Hak who is chairman of the central committee of the DPRK-China Friendship Association, vice-minister of foreign affairs Kim Yong Il and other officials concerned, Chinese ambassador to the DPRK Wang Guozhang and embassy officials.