S. Korean president meets with advisors ahead of nuclear security summit

SEOUL, March 13 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Lee Myung- bak met Tuesday with a group of former policymakers and scholars to discuss ways to successfully host a forum on global nuclear security.

Lee sat down with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov and Graham Allison, a professor and expert on nuclear strategy at Harvard University.

They are part of 15-member "Eminent Persons Group," formed to provide Lee with policy proposals and advice prior to the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit, slated for March 26-27 in the South Korea' s capital city.

The summit, aimed at reducing and protecting radioactive materials and keeping terrorists at bay from nuclear materials and facilities, is expected to bring together more than 50 heads of state and representatives of international organizations.

During the Tuesday's meeting, the three voiced hope that the Seoul summit will lay a cornerstone for realizing the nuclear-free world and stressed the need for international cooperation on nuclear security, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.