Kyodo news summary -7-

NEW YORK, Sept. 11 Kyodo

---------- Koizumi reiterates criticism of China, S. Korea

HELSINKI - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday reiterated his criticism of China and South Korea for refusing to hold summit talks with Japan.

''It is China and South Korea who refuse to have summit talks because they have a different idea only on one issue,'' Koizumi said at a press conference in Helsinki following the end of the Asia-Europe Meeting summit, apparently referring to his repeated visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

---------- New York marks 5th anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks

NEW YORK - New York marked the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States with a mixture of grief and anger at a somber ceremony held Monday at Ground Zero.

Strikingly clear fall skies hung over the site that was reminiscent of the unforgettable day a half decade ago as family members, friends, dignitaries and visitors gathered to pay their respects.

---------- Asia-Europe Business Forum calls for completion of WTO talks

HELSINKI - The 10th Asia-Europe Business Forum, held in parallel with the Asia-Europe Meeting in Helsinki, concluded Monday with a united call for the stalled World Trade Organization talks to be completed.

Speaking at the closing press conference for the dedicated business forum, Chairman Christoffer Taxell, president of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, said, ''We need multilateralism today more than ever before and that is why we strongly recommend the urgent resumption of the Doha Round.''

---------- OPEC keeps production quota unchanged

VIENNA - The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries on Monday decided to keep its oil production quota unchanged despite recent oil price falls, oil ministers said.

The Qatari oil minister, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, told reporters OPEC would hold its output steady at 28 million barrels a day.

---------- U.S. proposes expanded talks on N. Korea's nuclear program

SEOUL - South Korean and U.S. nuclear negotiators discussed an expanded way of dealing with North Korea's nuclear ambitions on Monday, with the six-way talks on the issue stalled for about a year.

Chun Yung Woo, South Korea's chief delegate to the disarmament talks, told reporters after talks with his U.S. counterpart Christopher Hill that the United States proposed another multilateral forum be created in addition to the six-way talks.

---------- NATO chief calls for continued fight against terrorism

BRUSSELS - NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called for an ongoing fight against terrorism on Monday after the attacks which hit the United States exactly five years ago.

''Allies and Partners are united in our resolve to defend our security and protect our peoples and values. We must defeat the terrorists and the radical ideologies that inspire them,'' de Hoop Scheffer said at a ceremony held at NATO Headquarters to remember those who fell victim to terrorism on Sept. 11, 2001. ''That resolve is our strong tribute to those who died so tragically in terrorist attacks -- and who will remain in our thoughts forever.''

---------- ASEM ends with call for N. Korea's return to 6-way talks

HELSINKI - Leaders of Asian and European nations voiced their concern over North Korea's July 5 missile launches and urged Pyongyang to return to stalled six-party talks aimed at resolving the standoff over its nuclear arms program as they wrapped up their two-day summit in Helsinki on Monday.

In the chairman's statement issued at the end of the sixth Asia-Europe Meeting summit, they ''expressed serious concern over the recent test-firing of missiles by the DPRK that jeopardized peace, stability and security in the region and beyond,'' and urged North Korea to comply with a U.N. resolution to prevent it from undertaking further missile testing.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Kyodo News International, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning