Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� June, 2003

Japan-Philippines Summit Meeting Friday, June 6, 2003 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi held talks with Ms. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the President of the Republic of the Philippines at the Prime Minister's Official Residence. During the meeting, President Arroyo expressed her intention to submit a draft resolution calling for the denuclearization of North Korea at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting to be held in the Kingdom of Cambodia in the middle of June. In the meeting, President Arroyo also suggested that North Korea need declaring denuclearization and responding appropriately to the humanitarian issues, including the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals and indicated a need for ensuring the security of North Korea within a multilateral framework as well as economic assistance. Prime Minister Koizumi said, "Japan and the Philippines can cooperate in diverse areas. I would like to promote even more cooperation."