Japan PM, S Korea president denounce N Korea nuke, missile progs

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24/9 Tass 115

NEW YORK, September 24 (Itar-Tass) - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak have strongly denounced
the North Korean nuclear and missile programmes.


The talks were held in
New York where the UN General Assembly session is underway these days.
During the conversation the sides agreed to closely cooperate in
matters regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula. They also
stressed that Tokyo and Seoul cannot agree to the existence of the North
Korean nuclear and missile programmes Hatoyama and Lee also urged the
North Korean side to return to the table of the six-sided talks on the
settlement of the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula.
The Japanese government head voiced support to South Korean proposals
to host the next meeting of the G20 leaders. A reservation was made
simultaneously that the time and place of the meeting will be officially
determined at the forthcoming G20 summit in Pittsburgh.
"Global peace and security form the cornerstone for maintaining the
stability and prosperity of all mankind. Today, global peace is being
threatened by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and
their means of delivery. To respond to these challenges, strong
determination and cooperation among all countries are essential in
strengthening the international non-proliferation regime, including the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," Lee said in his speech at the UN
GA general political debate on September 23. He said that "last October,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put forward a "five-point proposal for
nuclear disarmament." And in his speech in Prague last April, US President
Barack Obama set out his vision for "a world free of nuclear weapons."
Through sufficient discussions, we anticipate that these initiatives,
which embody the hopes and desires of humanity, will enhance a common
understanding on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation."
"In particular, a nuclear weapons free Korean Peninsula must be
realized in order to attain peace in Northeast Asia and beyond.
Denuclearisation is a prerequisite to paving a path toward genuine
reconciliation and unification in the Korean Peninsula, which is the only
remaining divided region in the world," the South Korean president noted.
He said, "The Republic of Korea will take an active part in the
concerted international efforts to dismantle the nuclear programmes of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). We urge the DPRK (North
Korea) to join in these efforts, and return to the Six-Party Talks right
away and without any preconditions."
"The Joint Declaration on the Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula
of 1992 to which both Koreas committed themselves must be observed. On
such a basis, the Republic of Korea will increase dialogue and exchanges
with the DPRK, and strengthen cooperation with the international community
for the development of the DPRK," Lee noted. "I want to make it clear now
is the time for the DPRK to make the decision, to achieve genuine peace on
the Korean Peninsula and for its own sake as well," the South Korean
president said.
The Yonhap news agency reported that South Korean President Lee
Myung-bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama reaffirmed Wednesday
the necessity of maintaining current international penalties on North
Korea while urging the communist state to return to talks on its
denuclearisation.
"The two leaders agreed on the need to resume the six-party talks to
resolve the North Korean nuclear issue and to continue implementing UN
Security Council sanctions," said Seoul's presidential office, Cheong Wa
Dae. The meeting was preceded by Lee's meeting with Chinese President Hu
Jintao earlier Wednesday, also held on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly.
China is the host of the six-nation talks that also involve the United
States and Russia. The UN sanctions were imposed shortly after the North
conducted its second atomic test in May, despite its 2005 agreement at the
six-party talks to dismantle its nuclear programmes.
In recent remarks, Lee cast doubt on what appeared to be conciliatory
gestures from Pyongyang, demanding unequivocal actions by the North to
show its sincere commitment to giving up its nuclear ambitions. He said
the warming gestures may be a result of international sanctions having
their effect on the North Korean regime, according to Yonhap.
It reported that on Monday, the South Korean leader proposed a "grand
bargain" to irreversibly dismantle North Korea's nuclear programmes in
exchange for a full set of benefits, rather than seeking phased solutions.
The meeting with Hatoyama marked the first summit between Lee and the
Japanese leader, who came into office earlier this month after his
Democratic Party of Japan overturned the half-century rule of the Liberal
Democratic Party in general elections.