Secretary Rice, South Korean Minister Ban Ki-moon

Secretary of State Rice’s Meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea Ban Ki-moon

Question: Please provide a readout of Secretary Rice’s meeting with South Korean Minister Ban Ki-moon this afternoon.

Answer: Secretary Rice had a good meeting this afternoon with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon. The Secretary will host the Foreign Minister for dinner following their meeting.

The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed preparation for the upcoming APEC Summit, which South Korea will host in November. The Secretary said that she looks forward to attending the Ministers' meeting immediately prior to the beginning of the Summit.

They discussed regional issues, including the six-party talks. Both agreed that progress had been made during this round of talks, that they had seen a businesslike approach to the talks from the North Korean delegation, and that they looked forward to resumption of the talks. They also discussed the diplomatic way forward prior to and after the resumption of talks.

Foreign Minister Ban also updated the Secretary on the status of issues related to the inter-Korean dialogue.

2005/804, Released on August 23, 2005, Taken Question, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC, August 23, 2005

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