In the first meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, foreign ministers and officials will gather in the Brunei capital of Bandar Seri Begawan on Wednesday to discuss tense situations on the Korean Peninsula and between India and Pakistan, plus other regional issues.
The major task of ARF, the sole intergovernmental security forum in the Asia-Pacific region, is to come up with stronger measures to fight international terrorism. The forum comprises 23 nations: the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and 13 other Asia-Pacific countries, including the United States, Japan, China, South Korea and North Korea.
North Korea, which joined ARF two years ago, is expected to send Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun to Brunei. Pyongyang has agreed to Tokyo's proposal that their foreign ministers meet, for the first time in two years, in Brunei. At the same time, Pyongyang has informed Seoul of its intention to resume North-South ministerial meetings. Now the focal point is whether Paek will hold direct dialogues with his American and South Korean counterparts.