Japan to keep working to bridge gap with China, Russia at UNSC+

TOKYO, April 6 Kyodo - Japan has yet to bridge differences with China and Russia on a U.N. Security Council response to North Korea's rocket launch Sunday, but will continue to work with allies on trying to get a new resolution adopted, Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said Monday.

''The various countries share a common concern that North Korea's action has a
grave impact on the region's stability and security,'' Nakasone told reporters.
''Meanwhile, there is a certain degree of difference on how the U.N. Security
Council should respond to that.''
While declining to give details of discussions at the council's closed
emergency meeting, convened Sunday afternoon in New York at Tokyo's request,
Nakasone said Japan, the first to speak, emphasized that the launch was a clear
violation of existing U.N. Security Council resolutions and ''won understanding
to a certain extent from the other members.''
''China and Russia share the concern that this is a threat to the region, but
they appear reserved and cautious as of now,'' said the foreign minister, who
held telephone talks with his counterparts from the five veto-wielding
permanent council members within hours of Pyongyang's launching of a rocket
over Japan.
Prime Minister Taro Aso emphasized the need for solidarity among council
members, telling reporters, ''The Security Council is to send a unified
message. Otherwise, it will give North Korea the wrong message.''
Separately, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told a news conference,
''Given the fact that the missile-related object flew above Japanese territory,
we strongly emphasize our belief that this is a threat to the stability and
security in Northeast Asia and will seek the international community's
understanding that measures demanding North Korea's self-restraint are
necessary.''
Japan and the United States, its closest ally, affirmed earlier that any launch
by North Korea, regardless of whether it was for a missile or a satellite as
Pyongyang claims, would violate Security Council resolutions.
Japan has repeatedly said it wants to see a ''strong message'' from the
Security Council against North Korea, including adopting a new resolution.
Tokyo and Washington have been considering proposing a resolution that would
seek a stricter enforcement of existing sanctions under Resolution 1718.
Resolution 1718, adopted unanimously in October 2006 after North Korea
conducted a nuclear test, bans Pyongyang from all activities related to its
ballistic missile program. It also calls for the international community to
stop trading weapons and luxury goods with Pyongyang.
''We are fully aware that the Security Council is not a place where resolutions
are adopted easily,'' Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka told an afternoon
news conference.
''But given that (the launch is) a violation of U.N. resolutions, the Security
Council and the resolutions themselves will lose credibility if the United
Nations fails to respond firmly,'' Yabunaka said.
Yabunaka, the ministry's top bureaucrat, said Japan is continuing to lobby
other nations for their understanding and support, including telephone talks
between Foreign Minister Nakasone and his counterparts from Australia and
others on Monday.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith assured Japan of its cooperation and
criticized the North's launch as a provocative act, while Vietnamese Deputy
Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem told Nakasone of Hanoi's willingness to work with
Japan at the United Nations and other frameworks to ''find an appropriate
solution,'' Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.
China, a traditional ally and major provider of food and energy to North Korea,
is one of the five permanent Security Council members with veto power. On
Sunday, it expressed understanding of Japan's concerns over the launch but
urged Tokyo to ''respond calmly.''
Similarly, Russia, one of the few others who are cautious about antagonizing
Pyongyang and another veto-wielding member, agreed to work with Japan to find
consensus at the Security Council but stopped short of expressing support for
Japan's position that the launch violated existing resolutions.
==Kyodo