ID :
11976
Thu, 07/10/2008 - 10:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/11976
The shortlink copeid
Fukuda rules out immediately lifting Japan's sanctions on N. Korea
TOYAKO, Japan, July 10 Kyodo - Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Wednesday ruled out immediately lifting Japan's sanctions against North Korea when he met Chinese President Hu Jintao, saying Pyongyang has not taken concrete actions to fulfill its promise toreinvestigate its past abductions of Japanese nationals, according to Japanese officials.
In the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the just-concluded Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido, Fukuda welcomed a recent deal with China to exploit gas fields in disputed East China Sea areas, saying the project is a symbol of their ''mutually beneficial strategic relationship'' and that he would like to''steadily proceed'' in negotiations toward concluding a treaty.
The two also agreed to step up cooperation over disaster prevention following the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan Province in China in May, and to accelerate investigations on the unresolved cases of food poisoning caused bytainted dumplings imported from China.
On North Korea, Fukuda told Hu, ''No concrete actions have been taken yet so Japan is not in a position to partially lift its sanctions.'' He also urged China, which hosts the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizingthe Korean Peninsula, to press Pyongyang toward resolving the abduction issue.
Hu offered cooperation in ''an appropriate form'' although he did notelaborate, the officials said.
Japan agreed last month with North Korea over its plan to lift some sanctionsin response to Pyongyang's promise to reinvestigate the abduction issue.
Fukuda said Japan does not intend to normalize its relations with North Korea, even if it abandons its nuclear weapons, unless the abduction issue isresolved.
''Without the normalization of ties, North Korea will not be able to receivefull-fledged economic cooperation from Japan,'' Fukuda was quoted as telling Hu.
Japan and North Korea are at odds over the number of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, and the fates of some of them. The kidnapping cases are a major sticking point that has stalled talkson normalizing bilateral ties.
Concerns remain in Japan that the expected U.S. removal of North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism may lead Japan to lose leverage in pressingNorth Korea to resolve the abduction issue.
The United States began steps to remove North Korea from its blacklist last month, in response to Pyongyang's long-delayed declaration of its nuclearactivities based on an agreement reached at the six-party talks.
Given that North Korea has submitted the nuclear declaration, negotiators tothe six-party talks will meet Thursday in Beijing after a nine-month hiatus.
In the bilateral meeting, Fukuda stressed the need to verify the list of NorthKorea's nuclear programs ''with certainty,'' the officials said.
Hu said that ''positive progress was seen'' in the six-party talks and that the next mission is to raise the negotiations to a ''new stage,'' according to theofficials.
Hu met Fukuda in Hokkaido, where the Chinese president attended an outreach session of the G-8 summit and a meeting of 16 major greenhouse gas emittersWednesday.
Fukuda told Hu that the leaders of the major emitters have been able to hold ''important'' discussions to tackle climate change and called for cooperationfrom China.
Meanwhile, Hu welcomed Fukuda's announcement that he will attend the openingceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Aug. 8.
==Kyodo
In the bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the just-concluded Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido, Fukuda welcomed a recent deal with China to exploit gas fields in disputed East China Sea areas, saying the project is a symbol of their ''mutually beneficial strategic relationship'' and that he would like to''steadily proceed'' in negotiations toward concluding a treaty.
The two also agreed to step up cooperation over disaster prevention following the devastating earthquake that hit Sichuan Province in China in May, and to accelerate investigations on the unresolved cases of food poisoning caused bytainted dumplings imported from China.
On North Korea, Fukuda told Hu, ''No concrete actions have been taken yet so Japan is not in a position to partially lift its sanctions.'' He also urged China, which hosts the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizingthe Korean Peninsula, to press Pyongyang toward resolving the abduction issue.
Hu offered cooperation in ''an appropriate form'' although he did notelaborate, the officials said.
Japan agreed last month with North Korea over its plan to lift some sanctionsin response to Pyongyang's promise to reinvestigate the abduction issue.
Fukuda said Japan does not intend to normalize its relations with North Korea, even if it abandons its nuclear weapons, unless the abduction issue isresolved.
''Without the normalization of ties, North Korea will not be able to receivefull-fledged economic cooperation from Japan,'' Fukuda was quoted as telling Hu.
Japan and North Korea are at odds over the number of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s, and the fates of some of them. The kidnapping cases are a major sticking point that has stalled talkson normalizing bilateral ties.
Concerns remain in Japan that the expected U.S. removal of North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism may lead Japan to lose leverage in pressingNorth Korea to resolve the abduction issue.
The United States began steps to remove North Korea from its blacklist last month, in response to Pyongyang's long-delayed declaration of its nuclearactivities based on an agreement reached at the six-party talks.
Given that North Korea has submitted the nuclear declaration, negotiators tothe six-party talks will meet Thursday in Beijing after a nine-month hiatus.
In the bilateral meeting, Fukuda stressed the need to verify the list of NorthKorea's nuclear programs ''with certainty,'' the officials said.
Hu said that ''positive progress was seen'' in the six-party talks and that the next mission is to raise the negotiations to a ''new stage,'' according to theofficials.
Hu met Fukuda in Hokkaido, where the Chinese president attended an outreach session of the G-8 summit and a meeting of 16 major greenhouse gas emittersWednesday.
Fukuda told Hu that the leaders of the major emitters have been able to hold ''important'' discussions to tackle climate change and called for cooperationfrom China.
Meanwhile, Hu welcomed Fukuda's announcement that he will attend the openingceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Aug. 8.
==Kyodo
