Ban Ki-moon warmly welcomes Koreas' deal to hold family reunions later this month

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday "warmly welcomes" the agreement reached between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to hold family reunions from February 20-25, his press office said in a statement.The Secretary General urged the President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong Nam during their recent meeting in Sochi, Russia, to show flexibility and to "decouple humanitarian matters, such as family reunions, from political and security matters."Tension between the two Koreas has been high and inter-Korean relations have remained strained for far too long. As such, this important development is a step in the right direction. (Ban) encourages both sides to keep up the momentum by continuing high-level engagement and taking further steps to build confidence and trust," the statement added.Ban, a national of South Korea, reaffirms his "strong commitment" to contribute to promoting peace, development and stability on the Korean peninsula as well as improving inter-Korean relations.