ID :
12144
Fri, 07/11/2008 - 11:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/12144
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N. Korea agrees to sign ASEAN's non-aggression treaty
SINGAPORE, July 11 Kyodo - North Korea has agreed to sign the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' non-aggression treaty, ASEAN official sources and diplomats said Thursday.
North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun has written a letter to Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, the grouping's current chairman, to convey Pyongyang's decision to sign ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation inSoutheast Asia, they said.
The treaty promotes cooperation and peaceful settlement of disputes in the region.
''Our government of the republic has decided to accede to the treaty...out of the desire to contribute to ensuring lasting peace, stability and co-prosperityin the region,'' Pak wrote in the letter, dated June 12.
However, Pak laid certain preconditions, requesting that the treaty should not be imposed on Pyongyang's relations with countries outside ASEAN and thatarticles 14, 15, and 16 should be restricted to ASEAN states.
The three articles provide for intervention for peaceful settlement of disputes by a High Council composed of ministers from the 10 ASEAN states andsignatories from outside the group that are directly involved in the dispute.
The letter said the preconditions are necessary because of the ''peculiar situation on the Korean Peninsula and complicated international relations surrounding it.'' The letter also expressed hope for a ''positive reply'' from ASEAN and that North Korea's accession ''would contribute to expanding and promoting the friendly and cooperative relations with ASEAN in a more practical and lively manner.'' The ASEAN official sources and diplomats said Yeo is trying to reassure North Korea that the High Council can only be invoked with the consensus of partiesto the dispute.
They said that once the sticking point is resolved, Singapore could make an announcement in the next few days on the possibility of North Korea signing the agreement during the annual ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and other relatedmeetings that will take place in Singapore from July 20 to 24.
Pak is expected to be here for the annual ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a multilateral forum on security in the Asia-Pacific regionthat will take place on July 24.
Besides the 10 ASEAN members, some 14 countries outside ASEAN have already signed the treaty, including China and India, which acceded in 2003, and also Japan, Pakistan and South Korea in 2004. The rest are Russia, Australia, New Zealand, France, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, East Timor, and Papua NewGuinea.
ASEAN has made accession to the treaty one of the criteria for membership in the East Asia Summit, whose members include the ASEAN states plus Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. The European Union is alsoplanning to sign the treaty.
In a bid to engage the reclusive state, Yeo had urged North Korea to sign the treaty when he visited the country in May this year. After returning from his trip, Yeo disclosed that North Korea was considering signing the treaty in July. North Korea has moved closer toward ASEAN since 2000, when it joined the27-member ASEAN Regional Forum.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, thePhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun has written a letter to Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo, the grouping's current chairman, to convey Pyongyang's decision to sign ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation inSoutheast Asia, they said.
The treaty promotes cooperation and peaceful settlement of disputes in the region.
''Our government of the republic has decided to accede to the treaty...out of the desire to contribute to ensuring lasting peace, stability and co-prosperityin the region,'' Pak wrote in the letter, dated June 12.
However, Pak laid certain preconditions, requesting that the treaty should not be imposed on Pyongyang's relations with countries outside ASEAN and thatarticles 14, 15, and 16 should be restricted to ASEAN states.
The three articles provide for intervention for peaceful settlement of disputes by a High Council composed of ministers from the 10 ASEAN states andsignatories from outside the group that are directly involved in the dispute.
The letter said the preconditions are necessary because of the ''peculiar situation on the Korean Peninsula and complicated international relations surrounding it.'' The letter also expressed hope for a ''positive reply'' from ASEAN and that North Korea's accession ''would contribute to expanding and promoting the friendly and cooperative relations with ASEAN in a more practical and lively manner.'' The ASEAN official sources and diplomats said Yeo is trying to reassure North Korea that the High Council can only be invoked with the consensus of partiesto the dispute.
They said that once the sticking point is resolved, Singapore could make an announcement in the next few days on the possibility of North Korea signing the agreement during the annual ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and other relatedmeetings that will take place in Singapore from July 20 to 24.
Pak is expected to be here for the annual ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a multilateral forum on security in the Asia-Pacific regionthat will take place on July 24.
Besides the 10 ASEAN members, some 14 countries outside ASEAN have already signed the treaty, including China and India, which acceded in 2003, and also Japan, Pakistan and South Korea in 2004. The rest are Russia, Australia, New Zealand, France, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, East Timor, and Papua NewGuinea.
ASEAN has made accession to the treaty one of the criteria for membership in the East Asia Summit, whose members include the ASEAN states plus Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. The European Union is alsoplanning to sign the treaty.
In a bid to engage the reclusive state, Yeo had urged North Korea to sign the treaty when he visited the country in May this year. After returning from his trip, Yeo disclosed that North Korea was considering signing the treaty in July. North Korea has moved closer toward ASEAN since 2000, when it joined the27-member ASEAN Regional Forum.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, thePhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
==Kyodo
