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Eight countries to hold nuke talks as NKorea defiant
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 28, 2006 Eight countries including the United States and Asian powers prepared to hold talks on security concerns Friday as North Korea repeated its vow to shun negotiations on its nuclear programme. The talks on the sidelines of Asia's top security forum here were scheduled after Pyongyang refused to rejoin a six-nation dialogue it walked out of in November in protest at US financial sanctions. "In order for six-way talks to resume, the US should lift its sanctions. This is our basic stance," North Korean delegation spokesman Chung Sung-Il told reporters. "If the US sincerely wants a dialogue, they can do it and must do it." North Korea will repeat its stance in a speech later Friday at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Chung added. "At today's forum, we are going to declare our position on settling the nuclear issue and reiterate our foreign ministry's statements on July 6 and 16 on the missile issue," Chung said. Those statements said that seven controversial missile tests that were carried out by North Korea on July 5, sparking condemnation by the UN Security Council, were a justifiable means of self defence. "It is sheer robbery to have unduly taken this issue to the UN Security Council and made it public," Chung said. The stalled six-party talks involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, the United States and Russia. North Korea is expected to be discussed Friday in an eight-country discussion on regional issues to be hosted by the United States, which will include China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Malaysia, Australia and Canada. "The scene will be the regional issues of common concern. They will be exchanging their views," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Thursday. Asked if they would discuss the North Korean nuclear standoff, she replied: "Everybody can express their views on regional issues." North Korea walked out of the talks in November after Washington accused a Macau-based bank of helping Pyongyang launder earnings from fake US currency, and told US financial institutions to stop dealing with the bank. The US says the clampdown on the bank is a criminal matter and should not be linked to the nuclear issue. "There is no illegality there (at the bank)," North Korea's Chung said. Frantic diplomatic efforts were made this week to get North Korea back to the negotiating table before US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the North's Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. But North Korea said as soon as its delegation touched down here that it would not hold talks until the sanctions are dropped. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links
Rice faces crisis on two fronts at Asia security meet
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 28, 2006 Top US diplomat Condoleezza Rice will tackle crises on two fronts at security talks here Friday -- anger over Israel's Lebanon offensive and North Korea's intransigence on nuclear talks. |
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