Brussels, 14/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - In Seoul, the first stop on his five-day tour in Asia, Commissioner Pascal Lamy urges the South Korean authorities to "rapidly" settle the dispute over public aid to shipyards, unless multilateral arbitration and the reactivation of a support mechanism to the European industry is to be resorted to. This would be the "ultimate sign of confidence" in an otherwise flourishing relationship, he said, on Wednesday, speaking before the EU Chamber of Commerce. Mr Lamy mainly welcomed the convergence of opinions on "all aspects" of multilateral trade. "It is imperative" for the launching of a new round of talks to be held in the autumn, during the WTO Ministerial Conference, he insisted. Such was the main aim of the talks that he held with his South Korean counterpart. Mr Lamy is expected to leave Japan on Thursday to fly to Hong Kong at the end of the week.