Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Pyongyang trip: Twenty lesson in North Korea's party apparatus

Whether the interpreter in the Palace of Culture in Pyongyang, the words of Jones had so translated, in the end no one knew. "Football will open borders," said the chief organizer of the Women's World Championships at the reception in North Korea's capital. The national players and officials from the country of dictatorship were allowed to listen to vivid words of the Green Party leader Claudia Roth: "Football, the doors open a bit quite small when the policy has built walls." At the first visit of a delegation of the German Football (DFB) at all North Korean president Theo Zwanziger at the weekend signed a cooperation agreement with his counterpart Ri Jong-mu.

Otherwise, the lawyer received from Altendiez that led a total of five parliamentarians, the World Cup organizing committee and the 14 journalists are accompanying the hard political and everyday reality in the internationally isolated and economically dilapidated state clearly. "Infinitely many walls - in thought, in all," Zwanziger set after discussions with numerous established political functionaries.

Zwanziger, Jones and Roth snatched at all the meetings only a few glances at the dreary street scene of Pyongyang with their bare apartment blocks and Stalinist swank palaces. But that was enough to see how the Green Party politician: "I have no country experienced that I seemed so closed, barricaded in itself.

The distance is so infinitely great to the people. "At the official level, there were long-planned shake hands, and Roth said in the men's laps many politically sensitive issues. "There is a curiosity, but not in the party apparatus," said Zwanziger. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two football associations involving cooperation with referees, coaches training and youth teams.

Zwanziger North Korean counterpart, Ri Jong-mu had received the largest German delegation for five years in North Korea as state guests directly onto the tarmac of the airport, said at the signing ceremony: "This is an important document of friendship. . A basis to strengthen the relationship between both countries "the occasion of the visit was the last stop of the" Welcome "Tour from Jones: The World Cup organizing chief visits - except for the affected by tsunami, earthquake and nuclear disaster, Japan - all countries final round participants.

Especially on the group match against North Korea USA 28 June in Dresden hopes Zwanziger a small approximation of the two enemy states "in diplomatic and sporting level." Any event, the American ambassador will be invited to the game. When receiving the World Cup OKs wanted to overzealous officials to prevent the game is against the "class enemy" being addressed.

But that did not take Jones, Roth and co. In the end, put the North Korean women's selection, 21 May in Ingolstadt against World Cup holders Germany denies a test match, for the World Cup trophy and mascot Karla Kick souvenir photo. It does not really warm up in the huge hall, but the whole evening was.

Zwanziger hopes that it will in the near future for the first men's match between the two countries. For the women's World Cup, the DFB had "an incredible number of invitations" issued. As a mediator at the highest political level, the sport DFB president would see the issue of South Korea.

"If we can help make that play again against each other, then that would be a good thing." Then stopped himself twenties himself and said: "We are not people who build this cloud cuckoo land, we know what is the reality. . But we point out that the football can make a very small contribution that the people come back a little closer "The saucy lady believe with the red hair wanted to party and football officials to bring at least footballing skills line: Whether your party is not closed in could support the World Cup, the North Korean team, Roth was asked.

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