IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Iran

Teheran again rejects Trump-Rouhani meeting

Iran on Wednesday rejected the possibility of a meeting between President Hassan Rouhani and US counterpart Donald Trump, after the White House had signaled it was open to such an encounter. Two of Trump's top lieutenants on Tuesday indicated he was ready to meet the Iranian president without preconditions, after the US leader sacked his hawkish national security adviser John Bolton. But Iran's representative at the United Nations, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, said on Wednesday that a meeting could take place only if Washington ends its "economic terrorism" by lifting all sanctions against Teheran. The Iranian envoy also said any meeting must also be held in the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal. Rouhani on Wednesday said that the US "warmongering" would fail and warned that Iran was ready to further reduce its nuclear commitments.

South Korea

Seoul to file WTO complaint over Tokyo

South Korea said on Wednesday it will file a complaint to the World Trade Organization over Japan's "politically motivated" export restrictions, upping the ante in an intensifying dispute with the neighbor. "Japan's export curbs on three items are driven by political motivations linked to a Supreme Court ruling over the issue of forced labor," said Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee at a news conference. "Targeting South Korea is... in violation of WTO's principles banning discriminatory practice." With South Korea's role as a main supplier for memory chips and displays, she said, the curbs have caused "significant uncertainty" in the global economy. Yoo said South Korea will request a bilateral consultation at the WTO as a first step to resolve the issue.

Agencies

(China Daily 09/12/2019 page12)