N Korea urged to reiterate non-nuclear status
Japan is pressing fellow participants in six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programme not to allow Pyongyang back into negotiations unless it reiterates last year’s commitment to remain a non-nuclear state.
Taro Aso, foreign minister, was expected to spell out Japan’s position when he met Ban Ki-moon, South Korea’s foreign minister, in Tokyo on Sunday. Nicholas Burns, US undersecretary for state, will be told the same in a round of meetings with senior Japanese officials on Monday.
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Pyongyang, under pressure from United Nations sanctions, last Tuesday agreed to return to six-party talks, which have been stalled for a year. Before talks collapsed, North Korea signed a statement on September 19 2005 in which it pledged to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. However, last month it tested a nuclear device, triggering a regional crisis.
Japanese officials say Pyongyang cannot simply be allowed to walk back into talks as a de facto nuclear state, but must reiterate the September 19 statement before negotiations can resume.
“These must not be treated as nuclear disarmament talks,” said one foreign ministry official. “We think the other parties
