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WORLD NEWS Friday 22 November 2019
N. Korea says Kim turned down Moon invitation to visit South

By KIM TONG-HYUNG that dialogue is going on
Associated Press between the top leaders
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ... although no settlement
— Blaming its rival for a re- of the fundamental issues
cent chill in relations, North between (the Koreas) ... is
Korea on Thursday said its being made."
leader turned down an in- Moon's office expressed re-
vitation by South Korean gret, saying Kim is missing
President Moon Jae-in to out on a rare opportunity
participate in a regional to meet other Asian lead-
summit next week. ers. It said the Korean lead-
The announcement contin- ers should meet often to
ued North Korea's current discuss peace and coop-
hardball approach with eration, but did not directly
Washington and Seoul fol- address the North's criticism
lowing months of unprec- of Moon's policies. Work-
edented summitry as they ing-level talks last month in
near an end-of-year dead- Sweden broke down over
line issued by the North's what the North Koreans de-
leader, Kim Jong Un, for scribed as the Americans'
the U.S. to salvage fragile "old stance and attitude."
nuclear talks. North Korea has suspend-
North Korean officials in re- ed virtually all cooperation
cent weeks have insisted with South Korea amid the
that Kim has no interest in standstill in negotiations
another summit with U.S. with the United States, while
President Donald Trump demanding that Seoul defy
unless the North gets some- U.S.-led international sanc-
thing substantial in return. tions and restart joint eco-
They have also called for nomic projects that would
the United States to end aid the North's broken
"hostile" policies against In this April 27, 2018, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, and South Korean President economy.
the North, apparently re- Moon Jae-in cross the military demarcation line to the South side at the border village of In their third summit last
ferring to its enforcement Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone. September in the North Ko-
of sanctions and pressure, Associated Press rean capital of Pyongyang,
and permanently halt joint ing to uphold agreements Korea asked the North to on Washington. "If (South Kim and Moon vowed to
military exercises with the reached between the send a special envoy to Korean officials) think they restart visits by South Ko-
South for any progress in leaders in three summits the meetings if Kim couldn't can easily turn around the rean tourist groups to the
negotiations. last year. KCNA said Moon's come. present serious situation North's Diamond Mountain
The statement carried by office sent a letter on Nov. The statement repeated with just a piece of letter, resort and normalize opera-
the North's official Korean 5 inviting Kim to attend a demands that South Korea they would be seriously mis- tions at a joint factory park
Central News Agency said summit Moon is hosting in break away from the U.S., taken," the statement said. in the North's border town
there is no reason for Kim the southern city of Busan accusing the Moon gov- "We will never follow with- of Kaesong when possible,
to visit the South under "be- for Southeast Asian leaders ernment of harming inter- out reason the impure at- voicing optimism that sanc-
clouded air" and accused on Monday and Tuesday. Korean cooperation with tempt of (the South Kore- tions could be lifted to al-
Moon's government of fail- The agency said South its continued dependence an) side to give impression low such projects. q

Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa sworn in Sri Lanka’s new PM

By KRISHAN FRANCIS a parliamentary majority, appropriating $191,000 in
Associated Press respecting the mandate state funds to build a mon-
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Gotabaya Rajapaksa re- ument for his parents.
— Sri Lanka's newly elected ceived in last Saturday's He was also implicated
President Gotabaya Raja- presidential election. Ma- in several investigations
paksa on Thursday sworn in hinda Rajapaksa is widely including the abduction
as prime minister his brother applauded with ending a and killing of critical jour-
and the former president, 26-year separatist civil war nalists during the civil war.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, cap- with ethnic Tamil rebels dur- Jayaratne said that ac-
ping a victorious return to ing his presidency from 2005 cording to the constitution,
power of the brothers cred- to 2015. His brother the cur- no legal case, civil or crimi-
ited with a military victory rent president then served nal, can be filed against
over Tamil rebels but also as a powerful secretary to the president.
implicated in human rights the Ministry of Defense. A U.S court last month dis-
violations. In a boost to his grip on missed a case filed by the
Ranil Wickremesinghe power, a court Thursday daughter of a leading
stepped down as prime discharged President Ra- journalist killed in 2009 that
minister earlier Thursday japaksa in a corruption Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, right, accepts Gotabaya Rajapaksa was
official documents from his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa after
to clear the way for the case, citing constitutional appointing him as prime minister at the presidential secretariat behind her father's death.
president to form his gov- provisions for presidential in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019. The court said Gotabaya
ernment. Wickremesinghe immunity. The decision Associated Press Rajapaksa was entitled to
said in a statement that he was made on the advice said spokeswoman Nishara Gotabaya Rajapaksa had common law foreign offi-
was quitting despite having of the attorney general, Jayaratne. been charged with mis- cial immunity.q