Bosworth reluctant to tighten sanctions on N. Korea+

WASHINGTON, April 27 Kyodo -
The U.S. point man on North Korea policy on Monday told family members and
supporters of Japanese citizens North Korea has kidnapped that the United
States has no immediate plan to tighten financial and other sanctions against
North Korea.
After talks with Stephen Bosworth at the State Department, Japanese
participants said the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy
signaled the stance in response to their call for sanctions to help resolve the
abduction issue.
Shigeo Iizuka, chairman of the Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped
by North Korea, told reporters that Bosworth is ''a bit apart in thought from
us.''
Iizuka is leading the Japanese group visiting Washington to lobby for support
on the abduction issue. His younger sister, Yaeko Taguchi, was taken to North
Korea in 1978, when she was 22.
One of the participants said the group called on the United States to tighten
financial and other sanctions against North Korea, as well as to put the
reclusive country back on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Bosworth was quoted as saying Washington has no intention at this moment of
imposing sanctions as they are not expected to produce any change in
Pyongyang's behavior.
But the U.S. special representative was quoted as giving assurances that the
United States has sympathy on the abduction issue and is willing to work in
concert toward its resolution.
''In fighting North Korea for the past 10-odd years, we have said dialogue
without pressure will lead to nothing,'' said Teruaki Masumoto, secretary
general of Iizuka's association.
Masumoto, whose sister Rumiko was also abducted by North Korea in 1978, was
hopeful that Japan and the United States, together with South Korea, will
jointly take a resolute posture toward Pyongyang.
Another participant said that given Bosworth's reluctance to impose sanctions,
he sought the U.S. understanding that the abduction issue is a human rights
issue, to which the United States attaches importance.
He also said North Korea's suspected nuclear and missile technology
proliferation is not only a problem for northeast Asia but for the Middle East
as well.
Japan and North Korea have clashed over the abduction issue and long-standing
spats over the bilateral problem have been an obstacle to normalizing ties.
Masumoto said there was no discussion of North Korea's recent rocket launch,
which such countries as Japan and the United States see as a disguised test of
a long-range ballistic missile.
When the Japanese group met Bosworth, Sung Kim, U.S. special envoy for the
six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear drive, was also present.
The six-way talks involving North and South Korea, the United States, China,
Japan and Russia have been in stalemate since December on ways to verify
Pyongyang's nuclear activities.
==Kyodo