Spokesman for CPRF on resumption of inter-Korean ministerial talks

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland today released a statement as regards the 5th inter-Korean ministerial talks slated to take place in Seoul from September 15 to 18. The statement says:
    The inter-Korean ministerial talks will be resumed 6 months after they stalled in March. This is entirely ascribable to the initiative taken by us to solve the issue of the north-south relations independently by the efforts of the Korean nation according to the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.
    This reflects our will for the independent reunification and painstaking positive efforts.
    This also represents the unanimous aspiration and demand of the whole nation, which were confirmed at the recent August 15 Grand Festival for National Reunification held in Pyongyang.
    The review of the past 6 months proves that if the outside interference in our national issue is allowed, the inter-Korean relations in the process of favorable development will be frozen and deteriorate overnight.
    It is also a lesson taught by the long history of national division and its review.
    That is why the first point of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration calls for settling the issue of country's reunification independently by the concerted efforts of our nation responsible for it.
    National independence is the kernel and quintessence of the declaration.
    Whether the overall inter-Korean relations including the north-south ministerial talks develop smoothly or not entirely depends on how the south side respects the spirit of the June 15 joint declaration and maintains an independent stand.
    The south side should draw a proper lesson from the review of the past 6 months.
    The outside forces should no longer stand in the way of the development of the inter-Korean relations and our country's reunification in collusion with the anti-reunification forces in south korea.
    The anti-reunification elements swimming against the trend of the history can not go scot-free.
    We will as ever make every sincere effort to implement the historic June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.

Russian diplomats visit DPRK consulate general in Shenyang

Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- Officials of the Russian consulate general in Shenyang, China, paid a congratulatory visit to the DPRK consulate general in Shenyang on September 7 on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the foundation of the DPRK. They conveyed a floral basket in the name of the Russian consulate general in celebration of the DPRK's birthday and warmly hailed the successful Russia visit of leader Kim Jong Il.

Floral baskets placed before portraits of Kim Il Sung in Cuba

    Havana, September 11 (KCNA) -- Floral baskets were placed before portraits of President Kim Il Sung at the Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America (OSPAAAL) and the Kim Il Sung Agricultural Special School in Cuba on Sept. 6 and 7 with due ceremonies on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the DPRK. The participants laid floral baskets before the portraits of the president and paid homage to him.
    The director for political affairs of the OSPAAAL noted that the members of the organization were looking back with deep emotion on the immortal feats of the president on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the DPRK.
    He went on:
    We preserve Kim Il Sung's work carried in the first issue of the magazine of the OSPAAAL as a historic treasure.
    Though it is over 30 years since then the idea of Kim Il Sung clarified in his work serves still today as a guiding principle for the OSPAAAL.

Wreaths laid before KPA martyrs' cemetery in Vietnam

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- Wreaths were laid before the cemetery of the fallen soldiers of the Korean People's Army in Vietnam on September 5 on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the DPRK. Present at the wreath-laying ceremony were leading officials of the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association, delegates of different friendship organizations in Bac Giang province where remains of the fallen KPA soldiers are buried and the DPRK embassy officials.
    They laid wreaths before the cemetery and observed a moment's silence in memory of the KPA martyrs who fell while heroically fighting in the anti-U.S. national salvation resistance of the Vietnamese people in the noble internationalist spirit.
    Meanwhile, a friendly meeting was held that day under the co-sponsorship of the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association, the Vietnamese Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification and different friendly organizations in Bac Giang province to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the DPRK.

Second Pyongyang Flower Show closes

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- The Second Pyongyang Flower Show which was opened on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the DPRK was closed. The show was highly appreciated by visitors for displaying Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia and other beautiful flowers, potted plants, floral decorations and peculiar exhibits.
    A closing ceremony was held at the April 15 Children's Flower Garden yesterday.
    Present there were Han Song Ryong, secretary of the c.c., the Workers' Party of Korea, Jo Chang Dok, vice-premier of the cabinet, and others.

Greetings to Kim Jong Il from Cambodian King

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- Norodom Sihanouk, King of Cambodia, sent a congratulatory message to leader Kim Jong Il on Sept. 3 on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the DPRK. The whole Cambodia extends the highest glory to eternal President Kim Il Sung, founder of the DPRK and father of Juche Korea, on this occasion, the message said.
    The message extended congratulations to Kim Jong Il, rejoicing over the successes achieved in carrying out the policy for the peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula.
    The kingdom of Cambodia has always supported and will continue to support your just proposals for the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea, it said, adding:
    As there was Kim Il Sung, the most prominent and eternal president, and is Kim Jong Il, the respected supreme leader of the DPRK, the DPRK has emerged as a great model of building socialism and communism of Juche and is demonstrating the invincible might of sovereign, independent and prosperous Korea, which has rapidly developed in all fields of state building.

Portuguese party leader meets WPK delegation

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Portugal Carlos Carvalhas on Sept. 9 met the delegation of officials of the Workers' Party of Korea participating in the festival of "Avante", the organ of the Communist Party of Portugal. Saying that he is well aware of the miraculous successes recently made in the DPRK under the outstanding guidance of leader Kim Jong Il, the secretary general said that his party is greatly encouraged by them.
    Socialism is firmly defended and emerging victorious in the DPRK in the east. This is the common victory of many communist and workers' parties in Western Europe including the Communist Party of Portugal and a clear manifestation of the validity of the socialist cause and its inevitable victory, he stressed.
    Saying that it is the common task and duty of the progressive political parties and people the world over to defend socialism in the DPRK, he said that his party would always stand by the WPK in the struggle for socialism against imperialism and extend positive support to the WPK and the Korean people in their struggle to build socialism and achieve the independent reunification of the country.

Pullback of U.S. forces from S. Korea demanded

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- The Asian Regional Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification and the Indian Committee for Supporting Korea's Reunification issued a joint statement on Sept. 7 in support of the statement released by the spokesman of the DPRK Foreign Ministry 56 years since the U.S. troops' occupation of South Korea. Terming the U.S. troops' presence in South Korea a stumbling block in the way of achieving the independent and peaceful reunification of Korea and the source of disturbing peace and security in Asia and the rest of the world, the statement bitterly denounced the U.S. forces' presence in South Korea.
    The statement continued:
    The U.S. troops which occupied South Korea 56 years ago under the mask of "liberator" are occupation troops from a to z. They are aggressors who provoked the war of aggression against the DPRK in the 1950s and brought untold misfortune and sufferings to the Korean people and they are totally to blame for the national division of Korea.
    The U.S. defined the DPRK as its "no. 1 enemy" and is now staging war exercises against the DPRK while massively reinforcing its forces in and around South Korea and arming them with sophisticated weaponry.
    Considering the U.S. troops' pullback from South Korea to be an urgent issue in ensuring peace and security in the Korean peninsula, northeast Asia and the rest of the world, we strongly urge the u.s. to immediately withdraw its troops and nuclear weapons from South Korea.

Harvest of blueberry brisk

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- The harvest of blueberry is brisk in the northern highlands of Korea. Blueberry is one of the famous special products of Mt. Paektu.
    It is growing luxuriantly in the area of Mt. Paektu.
    The average height of the plant is 30 to 40 centimeters and the tallest is 1.2 meters.
    It blossoms between late June and late July and bears fruits between late July and late September. Fruits turn dark lilac when they get ripe.
    Blueberry contains sugar, protein, adipose, pectin, fibre, etc. It is rich in vitamin c, in particular.
    The blueberry peculiar in taste and aroma is used as a raw material for the production of a variety of foodstuffs such as wine, jelly and soft drinks. It is also widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.
    There are tens of thousands of hectares of blueberry fields in the area of Mt. Paektu.
    A variety of processed blueberry is served to the tourists and visitors to this area.

Unity of driving force of nation called for

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article calls upon the Korean nation to achieve the unity of its driving force in the spirit of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration and thus realize the country's reunification, its cherished desire. The article says:
    The whole nation should rally as one under the banner of great national unity and thus firmly build up the driving force for national reunification. Herein lies a key to shattering the anti-reunification moves of the separatist forces inside and outside Korea and independently achieving the cause of national reunification. It is the DPRK's consistent stand and an urgent need of the present situation to adhere to the principle of national independence in achieving the unity of the driving force of the nation.
    What is important for this is for the whole nation to pool efforts and check and frustrate foreign forces' interference and obstructions to efforts to solve the issue of national reunification.
    The fellow countrymen in the north and the south and overseas should heighten vigilance against the U.S. unreasonable interference in the issue of Korea's reunification and moves for aggression and thoroughly check and frustrate them by their concerted efforts.
    In order to achieve the unity of the driving force of the nation the people from all walks of life in the north and south and overseas should undertake a more dynamic joint solidarity movement.
    It is one of the important tasks of achieving the unity of the driving force of the nation to set store by the spirit of the joint declaration and thoroughly implement it.

Messages exchanged between DPRK and Cuban foreign ministers

    Pyongyang, September 13 (KCNA) -- DPRK foreign minister Paek Nam Sun and Cuban foreign minister Pelipe Perez Roque exchanged messages of greetings on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and Cuba. Paek in his message said he notes with pleasure that the two countries have steadily consolidated and developed the friendly and cooperative relations over the past 41 years, closely supporting and cooperating with each other in the struggle to shatter the imperialists' persistent moves to isolate and stifle the countries and defend socialism.
    The message expressed full support and solidarity to the fraternal Cuban people in their just cause of defending the socialist gains made by them at the cost of blood.
    The Cuban foreign minister in his message said that the two ministries have contributed to the common efforts to lay a solid foundation for checking the imperialists' incessant aggression, building a socialist society and putting the fraternal relations between the two countries, parties, governments and peoples on a high level.
    The message reiterated full support to the Korean people in their just cause to achieve the reunification of the country.