25/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has indeed received a letter from North Korea officially requesting the opening of diplomatic relations, said Gunnard Wiegand, spokesman for Chris Patten. Last week, North Korean Foreign Minister, Peak Nam, had asked the Commission and several Member States (Belgium, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain) to establish diplomatic relations. "We are in favour of developing relations between the EU and Korea, and we would like to encourage the process of rapprochement between the two Koreas. The question of diplomatic relations, however, demands more time and a unanimous decision in Council", stressed Gunnard Wiegand. Italy is the only country of the G-7 to have resmed diplomatic relations with North Korea.