Present at the meeting were the members of the north side preparatory committee and other officials concerned.

It learned about the overall preparations made for the joint conference in the north, the south and abroad and discussed the issues of making the joint conference a success.

It briefed its attendants on the noticeable achievements made in the preparations abroad such as the formation of preparatory committees in China, Japan, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, Canada, the U.S., Oceania and other regions and the inauguration of a unified overseas side preparatory committee for the joint conference on July 27.

The meeting noted that public organizations and figures from broad sections of people such as workers, peasants, youth, students and women in south Korea are voicing support for the proposal on holding the joint conference and making positive efforts for the successful joint conference.

It pointed out that a stumbling block is lying in the way of the preparations for the joint conference due to the south Korean authorities' vicious obstructive moves and the formation of the national joint preparatory committee is being delayed as the south side preparatory committee has not yet been inaugurated, in particular.

Its participants said the south Korean authorities' act of disallowing various political parties, organizations and individual personages of south Korea to make preparations for opening the joint conference in denial of the just proposal of the DPRK is a very unreasonable, treacherous and anti-reunification act which can never be justified.

It has become impossible to hold the joint conference on August 15 owing to the obstructive moves of the anti-reunification forces at home and abroad but the great national conference for reunification to be attended by representatives of all the political parties and social organizations and individual personages in the north, the south and abroad should successfully take place come what may, it held.

Now that it has become difficult to hold the joint conference on Aug. 15, for the present, the meeting decided to immediately hold a working meeting of the north, south and overseas sides for pushing ahead with the preparations for it and discuss the orientation of the future activities and take relevant steps.

The north side preparatory committee expressed the will to make more positive and patient efforts in close touch with people from all walks of life in south Korea and abroad in order to successfully hold without fail the joint conference which will be of great significance in realizing the peace of the Korean peninsula and the independent reunification of the country.