Rarely have expectations been so low for a summit meeting of such potential importance. President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea, who crosses the demilitarised zone on Tuesday to meet Kim Jong-il, the reclusive North Korean leader, has an­nounced lamely that he does not want to “pick a fight” with Mr Kim and has thrown away most of his diplomatic cards in advance of the encounter in the North.

Mr Roh – to the astonishment even of some South Koreans – says he will not raise the issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programmes. Instead, he wants a “peace declaration” ahead of a full international treaty to bring an official end to the 1950-53 Korean war. He is also believed to be preparing a South Korean aid programme for the North worth as much as $20bn.