Japan, S. Korea want strong statement on Pyongyang's rocket launch+

PATTAYA, Thailand, April 10 Kyodo - Japan and South Korea have separately proposed strong statements on North Korea's rocket launch to be issued by Asian leaders when they meet here this weekend, senior Thai officials said Friday.

Virasakdi Futrakul, permanent secretary of the Thai Foreign Ministry, told
Kyodo News it was not possible to gain a consensus from 16 Asian countries to
issue any ''standalone'' statement on Pyongyang's Sunday rocket launch.
''Both Japan and South Korea have separately submitted their inputs to us and
we will have to find common denominators...It has been clear it will be
mentioned in the Chairman's Statement which will be the prerogative of
Thailand,'' Virasakdi said.
Earlier Friday, Vitavas Srivihok, director general of Thailand's ASEAN Affairs
Department, declined to disclose the content of Japan's proposed draft, saying
the issue would be discussed Saturday and Sunday when the ASEAN-Plus-Three
Summit and the East Asia Summit are scheduled to be held.
The Japanese delegation is scheduled to arrive at the coastal beach resort of
Pattaya late Friday night.
Vitavas, however, told a news briefing Friday there was ''an attempt by a
dialogue partner country'' to push for a ''separate statement'' on the matter.
Vitavas declined to confirm whether the North Korean Embassy in Bangkok has
opposed the Japanese endeavor, saying, ''Just like any meetings of this kind,
there are some countries requesting for omitting some statements and there are
also some countries requesting for specific statements.''
He added that Pyongyang's Sunday rocket launch, widely regarded as a cover for
testing a long-range ballistic missile, could be discussed during an informal
working dinner by leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations later Friday night.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said he believed there would
not be a separate statement on the rocket launch.
''I very much believe there won't be a separate statement. This is a regional
body meeting, discussions have to be made and compromises have to be made.
There must be a balance of everyone's opinions,'' Tharit said.
ASEAN senior officials have prepared some language on the Korean Peninsula to
be incorporated in the Chairman's Statement of the ASEAN-Plus-Three Summit.
They include attempts to seek a ''preferable'' resolution, the continued
support for the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, and respect
for the U.N. Security Council's resolution, according to an ASEAN diplomat who
declined to be identified.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Plus-Three partners are
China, Japan and South Korea. Members of the East Asia Summit are the 10 ASEAN
countries, the Plus-Three nations, and India, Australia and New Zealand.
==Kyodo
2009-04-10 22:37:50