Extracts. President Jiang Leaves for DPRK on Visit. Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President, left Beijing Monday morning on a three-day official goodwill visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Jiang is invited by Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee and chairman of the National Defense Commission. Those who saw off Jiang at the Great Hall of the People included Li Peng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), Hu Jintao, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice-President of China. Other top officials who saw Jiang off at the Great Hall of the People were Tian Jiyun, vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee, Wang Zhaoguo, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Fu Quanyou, member of the Central Military Commission and chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and officials from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Office of the CPC Central Committee, the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Foreign Affairs Office, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the Ministry of Railways and officials from the DPRK Embassy in Beijing. Leading members of Jiang's entourage were Qian Qichen, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice- premier, Zeng Qinghong, alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, Guo Boxiong, member of the Central Military Commission and deputy chief of the PLA General Staff, Wang Gang, director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, Dai Bingguo, head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, Liu Huaqiu, minister in charge of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, among others. **** Jiang Zemin on Theoretical Innovation. Jiang Zemin on Theoretical Innovation Chinese President Jiang Zemin <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/people/jiangzemin.shtml> Friday urged senior military officers to study the scientific methods of Marxism based on the actual issues to steadily push forward reform, opening up, and the socialist modernization drive. Jiang, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark Friday at the University of National Defense in Beijing <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/beijing.html> . He called on the officers to combine theoretical innovation with real practice to keep the CPC vigorous. The senior officers were attending a theory seminar on an important speech delivered by Jiang on July 1, 2001 at a celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the CPC. Jiang stressed that theoretical innovation must follow two basic principles: the stand, view points and methods of Marxism and its basic theories; and implementation of the guideline of ideological emancipation and seeking truth from facts. "The two principles serve as the touchstone which tests whether we are real Marxists," he said. "We shall always stick to the basic theory of Marxism at any time. We must oppose any statement or behavior that denies and abandons Marxism," he emphasized. However, adhering to Marxism, can never follow dogmatism or book worship. "We should take a scientific attitude by viewing Marxism as a science that develops along with the development of the reality," Jiang said. He cited Marx, Engels, Lenin, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping as glorious examples who have dealt with Marxism scientifically. Jiang said the world's politics, economy, culture, science and technology have undertaken profound changes over the past one and a half centuries since the Manifesto of the Communist Party was published. "There is no limitation for practice, nor for ideological emancipation," Jiang said, "the only correct attitude towards Marxism is to develop it while adhering to it, and to adhere to it while developing it." "Whether we have stick to Marxism depends on whether we have applied it in solving China's problems and enhancing the growth of the Party's cause," he said. "The more problems it has been used to solve, the better we have applied. We should stick to Marxism during the process of solving actual problems and examine it with the result of practice, " Jiang said. He noted that the army is the people's army that upholds the Party's absolute leadership. For years the army has showed strong political resolution by always standing by the Party's side on big principles and political struggles. The army should meet more strict requests in studying and implementing the Party's theoretical guideline and policies, Jiang said. **** 'Three Links' Vital for Taiwan. Taiwan <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/taiwan.html> authorities should respect the appeals from local people in business circles to quicken its pace to fully institute the direct "three links'' across the Taiwan Straits, said a visiting Chinese official in Singapore <http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/data/singapore.html> on Thursday. Taiwan business representatives have urged Taiwan authorities to abandon the "no haste, be patient'' policy which has marred progress on the three links in the recent session of Taiwan's Economic Development Advisory Commission, said Wang Zaixi, vice-director of the Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council. Opening-up of the three links -- trade, postal service and transportation -- across the Taiwan Straits is a long-held of people on both sides of the Straits, Wang told Singapore media. Beijing <http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/province/beijing.html> has called for the completion of the three links across the Taiwan Straits in the "Remarks to Taiwan Compatriots'' released in 1979. Negotiations between individuals, corporations and business people across the Straits could be achieved if Taiwan authorities consider the three links issue under the one-China principle, Wang said. Nonetheless, with or without approval from the Taiwan authorities, Taiwanese companies have poured about US$70 billion into the mainland since authorities first allowed exchanges between the two sides in 1987. **** Putin clarifies Russia's readiness to negotiate on ABM Treaty. Russia does not think the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty has become obsolete, but is prepared for negotiations on amendment to the document, President Vladimir Putin said. President Putin said in an interview with Finnish media, before visit to Finland on September 2-3, that Russia did not agree with the words that the ABM treaty has become outdated, but "we display a good will, being ready for negotiations." Commenting on the US proposal to cut the offensive weapons to 1,500 warheads, Putin said this motion makes sense only in case of creating a mechanism of mutual confidence and mutual supervision. Putin said Russia had given up nuclear tests although it does not have computers for modeling nuclear explosions, which exist in the US "We do not intend to make nuclear explosions or carry out nuclear tests unless our partners, and, above all, US partners, do otherwise," he said. Russia will not do anything that could aggravate the international situation, because it gains no good from doing this, said the president. The main goal of Russia's foreign policy is to create such a situation that could promote the settlement of its internal economic and political tasks, which implies "world stability, good- neighborly relations with our neighbors and main partners, to whom we, undoubtedly, refer to the US," Putin stressed. **** Putin Departs for Finland. Russian President Vladimir Putin left here Sunday for a two-day official visit to Finland, Xinhua reported. Putin's Finland trip starts from the Finnish city of Turku where he is scheduled to meet Finnish President Tarja Halonen at the Kultaranta summer residence and to hold discussions with representatives of local authorities and business circle. >From Turku, he travels to Helsinki on Sunday evening and holds talks with Halonen on Monday. Putin also plans to meet with Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen, Parliament Speaker Riitta Uosukainen and members of the Finnish business community. Sergei Prikhodko, deputy chief of the Presidential Office, said Saturday that "no epoch-making breakthroughs" were expected from the visit. He said it was important for Russia "to exchange opinions with Finland on cooperation with the EU." Russia has been making intensive preparations for the Russian- EU summit in Brussels early in October, he said. On the agenda of the visit are cooperation within the framework of the Helsinki-brokered project "Northern Dimension" and European policy in the security and defense fields, he added. The two countries will sign two bilateral agreements on health care and entrepreneurial activities, as well as two big "promising " contracts with Russia's Norilsk nickel corporation, the Russian Itar-Tass news agency quoted diplomatic sources as saying. **** India Calls for Lifting of International Sanctions on Iraq. India calls for the lifting of the 11-year-old United Nations sanctions on Iraq as the sanctions have also inflicted damages on India's interests, an Indian parliamentary official said on Sunday. The sanctions have not only hurt Iraq but also India, as the two countries "share interests," Najma Heptulla, deputy chairperson of the upper house of the Indian parliament, told the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) at the end of a three-day visit. Heptulla said that during the visit, she held talks with top Iraqi officials on ways of promoting relations in various fields, especially trade and transportation. She met with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday and delivered a message to him from Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She hailed the talks with Saddam as "historic" and termed her talks with senior Iraqi officials, including Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, as "successful and positive," INA said. Heptulla, heading an 80-member delegation, arrived in the Iraqi capital on Friday for a visit aimed at enhancing the political and economic ties between the two countries. The trade between Iraq and India have been warming up. The two countries signed an agreement last year to trade oil in exchange for wheat, with New Delhi giving 35,000 tons of wheat for some 250 million U.S. dollars worth of Iraqi crude. Iraq has been under sweeping U.N. sanctions after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. But under the U.N. oil-for-food program, Iraq is allowed to export oil to import food and medicines to ease the sufferings of the Iraqi people. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
