N. Korea high on agenda at ASEAN Regional Forum

By Lee Chi-dong

PHUKET, Thailand, July 23 (Yonhap) -- Asia's largest annual security forum was to open here Thursday, setting the stage for regional powers to discuss North Korean intransigence and other major concerns, including human rights in Myanmar.

Foreign ministers are expected to use the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to reaffirm
their stern stance against Pyongyang's provocations and urge it to reengage in
the multilateral disarmament talks.
The delegation from Pyongyang, led by a lesser-ranking ambassador, faces the
daunting task of defending against international condemnation over North Korea's
recent missile and nuclear tests.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered an olive branch on Wednesday and
also delivered a warning.
"We have made it very clear to the North Koreans that if they will agree to
irreversible denuclearization, the United States, as well as our partners, will
move forward on a package of incentives and opportunities including normalizing
relations," she said at a press conference on this Thai resort island.
She held talks Wednesday with her counterparts from South Korea, China, Russia
and Japan, members of the six-party talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's
nuclear arsenal.
If the North Koreans stick to belligerence, she added, they will face
international isolation and the unrelenting pressure of global sanctions.
Clinton's remarks are likely to be reflected in the final document to sum up the
day's discussions at the ARF.
Meanwhile, North Korean representatives have lobbied Thailand, which chairs this
year's session, to support its position.
In a meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya shortly after their arrival
here on Tuesday night, the North's delegates said the ARF should not be used to
attack a particular nation.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers from the 10 ASEAN member countries had a
preliminary meeting and criticized the North's recent underground nuclear test
and missile launches.
"We urged the DPRK (North Korea) to fully comply with its obligations and
relevant UNSC resolutions," they said in the Joint Communique of the 42nd ASEAN
Foreign Ministers Meeting issued on Monday. They were referring to U.N. Security
Council Resolution 1874, which slaps tough sanctions on Pyongyang for its May 25
atomic test.
"We also urged all concerned parties to return to the six-party talks process as
soon as possible and fully implement their commitments made in previous rounds of
the six-party talks, which remain the main mechanism for achieving peace and
stability on the Korean Peninsula," the statement read.
South Korean officials said the wording is expected to be watered down to some
extent in the chairman's statement to be issued at the end of the ARF, as it will
be attended by the North Korean delegation.
The ARF involves the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations --
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
Their dialogue partners are Australia, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, India,
the European Union, New Zealand, the U.S. and Russia. The ARF is also joined by
North Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, East Timor and Papua New
Guinea.