US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright prepared for a historic meeting with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il Monday hours after arriving on a landmark visit to the Stalinist State.
Albright was set to become the first American official ever to meet Kim Jong-Il at 3:00 p.m. (0600 GMT) when the heir to the communist world's only dynastic succession was due to travel to her Pyongyang guesthouse, US officials said.
Later, Kim was to host a dinner for Albright a meal originally planned to have been held under the auspices of his right-hand, Vice Marshall Jo Myong Rok, a US official said.
The last minute re-scheduling forced the cancellation of much of the rest of Albright's events on her first day in North Korea, including a working meeting with Jo, talks with nominal head of state Kim Jung-Nam and a visit to an acrobatic circus.
In her meetings with Kim Jong-Il, Albright is expected to focus on his purported offer to abandon North Korea's missile program in exchange for commercial satellite launches, an offer Washington is keen to flesh out.
She is also expected to press the leader on US concerns about its suspect nuclear programs and terrorism, given the North's desire to be removed from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism.
A possible landmark trip to North Korea by US President Bill Clinton is also likely to be raised, particularly by Kim Jong-Il who sent an invitation for the visit to Washington earlier this month when Jo Myong Rok paid a visit to the United States.
Though US officials have cautioned they do not expect any significant breakthroughs during Albright's brief, but unprecedented, two-day visit, they have said they believe "serious progress" can be made in addressing Washington's concerns, including on the missile issue.
"We have reason to believe, because of the discussions that we have had, that North Korea may be prepared to take some very serious steps," one senior official told reporters traveling with Albright.
"Based on the discussions that we have had ... we believe there is the possibility of some serious progress on issues of major concern to us," the official said on condition of anonymity.
But as Albright arrived, under gray skies, the North Koreans moved quickly to imprint their agenda on her visit, scheduling a courtesy call on Jo Myong Rok at the enormous palace honoring Kim Jong-Il's father, the late "Great Leader" Kim Il-Sung whose embalmed body lies in state there.
The elder Kim played a key role in the 1950-53 Korean War that pitted a US- and South Korean-led United Nations force against the communist North and China.
Albright's presence at the Kim Il-Sung memorial had the potential to raise the ire of not only Seoul, but also US veterans of the Korean conflict who lost tens of thousands of their fellow soldiers during the war.
The meeting was closed to the press and a senior US official stressed that Albright had only "stopped briefly" in front of the bier where Kim Il-Sung's body lies and did not place flowers before it.
"She saw the body, but not for long," the official said, adding that Albright's meeting with Jo at the mausoleum had lasted about 20 minutes and the walk-through about 15.
Jo, the official said, was most interested in ensuring the success of Albright's trip to clear the way for Clinton to visit while the secretary stressed the importance of North Korea addressing US concerns before such a trip could be possible.
After meeting with Jo, Albright visited a kindergarten that also serves as a distribution point for World Food Program assistance, dancing with brightly dressed four- to six-year-olds who put on a performance for her.
In remarks there, Albright complimented the children for their skill, saying she really "looked forward to going back to the United States and telling my grandchildren about you and about how wonderful you look and dance."
But among the pleasantries, the secretary also delivered a blunt message to the North Korean leadership which has often been accused of redirecting foreign food aid intended for peasants to its armed forces.
"International donors should be assured that the supplies they send are used for the purposes intended," Albright said, standing under a large red and white sign that read: "Thanks to respected Generalissimo Kim Il-Sung."
Albright's arrival in Pyongyang came less than 24 hours after diplomatic drama surrounding North Korea's opening up to the world intensified with the arrival of Chinese defense minister Chi Haotian.
Chi, a Korean War veteran, is on a five-day visit officially to mark the anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War and is in Pyongyang at a time when analysts say Beijing is concerned about losing its influence on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea, plunged into a severe economic crisis and food shortages, has taken dramatic steps toward ending five decades of self-imposed isolation since a historic June summit in June between Kim Jong-Il and President Kim Dae-Jung of South Korea.
The South Korean leader was this month awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his reconciliation efforts. North Korea has been rewarded with the announcement by Britain, Germany and Spain last week that they would open diplomatic relations with it – PYONGYANG (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
