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Asian powers discuss NKorean nuclear standoff
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 27, 2006 China, Japan and South Korea attempted to restart stalled nuclear talks Thursday as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her North Korean counterpart headed for a security forum here. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and his opposite number Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur. "The two most important things for us are that North Korea should not take extra measures to worsen the situation and also that the six-way nuclear talks should resume as soon as possible," officials quoted Ban as saying. But in a sign of underlying regional tensions, South Korea complained that Japan had failed to consult Seoul ahead of a tough UN move against North Korean missile tests. The UN Security Council adopted a Tokyo-sponsored resolution condemning Pyongyang and imposed limited sanctions after the communist state test launched seven missiles on July 5. Aso sidestepped the issue, with a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman telling Ban that Japan appreciated South Korea's swift declaration of support for a watered-down UN resolution that eventually went through. Later Aso met his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing, who said that both sides had pledged to make "joint efforts" for an early resumption of the six-way talks that also group the United States and Russia. The Japanese official played down speculation about a meeting between US and North Korean officials. "With North Korea coming out to the six-way talks, then there is a possibility for US-North negotiations," Aso said. "If not, the possibility of the bilateral negotiation is ultimately almost zero." China, together with South Korea, has led this week's push to resume the talks, which derailed in November. However Japan and its two Asian neighbors have also been locked in a diplomatic row over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's repeated visits to a war shrine, territorial disputes and Japan's wartime record. The Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers last held bilateral talks in May in Doha on the sidelines of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue forum. The previous meeting at that level was in May 2005. Separately, US nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill suggested that the nuclear talks could be widened. If North Korea failed to attend, "we will have some kind of multilateral meeting to discuss security in Northeast Asia," he said. One South Korean official suggested Wednesday there could be a multilateral meeting which would also group Australia, Canada and Malaysia. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said ahead of a meeting with South Korea's Ban that he would "look forward to hearing their ideas". jun-vy-oh-ey/dk/sls/mc Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links
China's diplomatic skills put to the test over NKorea
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 27, 2006 China is credited with having more leverage over North Korea than any other country, but Pyongyang's decision to proceed with missile tests this month despite Beijing's protests illustrated how impervious the regime is. |
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