Japan raps N. Korea over announcement it will begin uranium enrichment

+

TOKYO, June 15 Kyodo -
Japan criticized North Korea on Monday for its recent announcement that it will
''weaponize'' more plutonium and begin uranium enrichment in protest at a U.N.
Security Council resolution intended to punish the country.
''This is a challenge to the U.N. Security Council and is absolutely
deplorable,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said, referring to North
Korea's reaction to the resolution. ''If North Korea maintains its hard-line
policy, it will face further isolation.''
Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka echoed the remarks by Japan's top
government spokesman in a separate press conference, saying that proceeding
with uranium enrichment activities ''is incompatible with (the goal of)
complete denuclearization from our viewpoint.''
North Korea announced Saturday that it will start uranium enrichment
activities, saying the move is part of a plan to build reactors for peaceful
purposes.
North Korea's announcement came as the U.N. Security Council unanimously
adopted a resolution Friday to impose a broad range of additional financial,
trade and other sanctions on the country in response to its nuclear test on May
25.
On the six-party talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear ambitions, Yabunaka
said the countries concerned should do more than ''simply resuming'' the talks
and reiterated the need to consider how to make the framework effective.
''The talks need to be resumed...but I think we need to review in what way they
would be most effective (to realize denuclearization),'' Yabunaka said. The
multilateral talks involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and
Russia.
==Kyodo