According to it, a general meeting of the north side preparatory committee was held here on Thursday.

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

The meeting informed in detail of a working meeting of the north, south and overseas sides held in Shenyang, China from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1.

Its participants were unanimous in stressing the need to surely hold a nationwide grand gathering for reunification with the attendance of the representatives of political parties and organizations and personages of various circles at home and abroad and thus remove the mistrust, antagonism, hostility and confrontation between the north and the south and bring about a radical turn in realizing the peace and independent reunification of the country.

The meeting discussed the preparations for the nationwide grand gathering for reunification and the ways for its success and adopted relevant decisions.

As discussed at the working meeting of the north, south and overseas sides, it decided to call the nationwide grand gathering for reunification the "All Koreans Conference for Peace and Reunification of the Country and Development of North-South Relations" (All Koreans Conference) and appointed members of the north side working committee, under an agreement on setting up a joint working committee of the north, south and overseas sides for the preparation of the All Koreans Conference within this year.

At the meeting, Ri Son Gwon, chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country of the DPRK, and Pak Myong Chol, director of the Secretariat of the C.C., Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea, were elected vice-chairmen of the north side preparatory committee for the All Koreans Conference to fill the vacancy.