NKorea won't return to nuke talks yet: Russian minister

NUKEWARS

US calls on NKorea to release journalists
The United States reiterated its call Friday for the release of two detained US journalists, following reports that the two women would stand trial for unspecified crimes. "We continue to call on the North Koreans to release the two Americans so they can be returned to their families," State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood told reporters. "We're working it quietly through diplomatic channels to do as much as we can." He said the United States was "still trying to get confirmation" about the trial, reported earlier by the official Korean Central News Agency. Washington has no diplomatic ties with Pyongyang and the Swedish embassy is representing its interests. But the Swedish ambassador has not had contact with the two journalists -- Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American -- since March 30, Wood said. "They are being denied access," a senior State Department official said. The Swedes have "not been able to get the access that we would all like to have," he added. But the two journalists were being provided with toiletries and medications. "There's no indication that they're not being treated well," the official said. The pair, who work for Current TV in California, were detained before dawn on March 17 along the narrow Tumen River, which marks the border with China. They had been working on a story about refugees fleeing the hardline communist North.

Obama, Japan PM discuss NKorea: officials
US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso in a telephone talk Friday discussed North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons threat, officials in Tokyo said. Obama in the 15-minute conversation also agreed to visit Tokyo in the second half of the year, a plan welcomed by Aso, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement. "President Obama told (Aso) that he highly praised the close cooperation between the United States and Japan over the missile launch by North Korea, and that he would like to continue the close cooperation," the statement said. "Prime Minister Aso replied that it was good for the United Nations Security Council to jointly send a strong statement without delay" against North Korea's recent rocket launch, the statement said. The two leaders agreed to work together for a resumption of the stalled six-way talks aimed at denuclearising Pyongyang, it said. The talks also include China, Russia and the two Koreas. Tensions remain high over North Korea's April 5 launch, which the United States and its allies say was a long-range ballistic missile test disguised as a satellite launch. Last week, Pyongyang announced it was quitting the six-nation talks on nuclear disarmament and would restart nuclear facilities in protest at the UN Security Council statement. During the telephone conversation, Aso also voiced his support for Obama's recent call for global nuclear disarmament, the statement said.

by Staff Writers
Seoul (AFP) April 24, 2009
North Korea does not yet intend to return to six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday after a visit to Pyongyang.

"North Korea has no intention to return to the six-way talks yet," he told a press conference, saying negotiating partners must play their part in persuading it.

Lavrov was the first high-level official to visit the North since it announced it was quitting the talks which began in 2003 and would restart a programme to make weapons-grade plutonium.

The move was in response to United Nations condemnation of its April 5 rocket launch, which Pyongyang says put a satellite in orbit. Other nations saw it as a disguised missile test.

Six-party members have failed to honour their side of a disarmament pact, especially regarding energy supplies, Lavrov said.

The forum groups Russia, the two Koreas, China, the United States and Japan.

Tokyo refuses to supply its share of the energy aid promised in return for the disabling of the North's nuclear plants, saying a dispute over Japanese abductees must be resolved first.

North Korea for its part told Lavrov's team "that it no longer needs six-party talks," according to a foreign ministry statement on Pyongyang's official media.

Russia and China, which have traditionally had friendly ties with North Korea, resisted pressure for a binding UN resolution in response to the launch.

But they supported a Security Council statement which condemned Pyongyang and called for tighter enforcement of existing missile-related sanctions.

"I would say sanctions are not constructive," Lavrov told the joint press conference with South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan.

The Russian minister said he urged Pyongyang to rejoin the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty during his meetings with number two leader Kim Yong-Nam and Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun.

But he said he did not meet leader Kim Jong-Il.

Lavrov said he feels North Korea is still ready to respect the terms of a September 2005 six-party agreement which was the basis for a February 2007 denuclearisation pact.

"We are in a difficult situation," he said, referring to the UN statement and cautioning against an "emotional" response by countries concerned.

"The most important goal under the circumstances is to push for six-party talks and for related countries to implement their duty faithfully."

"It would be a great mistake to lose what we have achieved so far," he said.

Yu said Lavrov supports Seoul's efforts to secure the release of a South Korean detained at a joint industrial complex in the North since March 30.

The North accuses the man of criticising its communist system and trying to persuade a local worker to defect.

"I think this problem must be resolved at an early date," Lavrov said but stressed it should not be linked to the resumption of six-party talks.

Chosun Sinbo, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper published in Japan, gave its slant on why the North has lost faith in the talks.

Pyongyang's military believes the negotiations failed to ease the US military threat and tensions following the rocket launch prove it was right, according to the paper which often reflects official thinking.

The army will now exercise a greater influence over nuclear policies, it said, suggesting there could be another nuclear test.

Chosun Sinbo said the Obama administration must try to eradicate the distrust of the North's army if it wants to avoid following in the footsteps of its predecessor, which drove North Korea to conduct a 2006 test.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us Digg Reddit

YahooMyWeb Google Facebook

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

NUKEWARS

NKorea renews threat to 'bolster nuclear deterrent'

Seoul (AFP) April 19, 2009
North Korea Sunday renewed a threat to "bolster its nuclear deterrent" while lashing out at the UN Security Council for condemning the communist state's April 5 rocket launch.

SUPERPOWERS Fourth-Generation War Rots The State From Within: Part Four China parades naval might Global Grudge Match: Obama Versus Osama Japan PM's war shrine offering angers China	NUKEWARS UN slaps sanctions on NKorean firms over missile NKorea won't return to nuke talks yet: Russian minister US, Russia begin talks on new START treaty Russia prepared to 'significantly' cut nuclear arsenal: general
MISSILE NEWS Japan products found on NKorea missile kit vessel: report USAF Awards Raytheon Contract For Laser-Guided Maverick Missile Raytheon Standard Missile-2 Destroys Target Indian tests cruise missile: official	MISSILE DEFENSE Missile Defense Proponents Change The Debate Part Two Russia accuses US on missile shield BMD Strategies: Multilayered Ballistic Missile Defense Systems Part 2 and 3 Israel wants to buy US rocket intercept system
AEROSPACE Air China says yet to receive state aid despite request Virgin to report greenhouse gases to Climate Registry As revenue drops, Cathay asks staff to take leave China Eastern Airlines reports huge loss in 2008	UAV NEWS Boeing Demonstrates Command And Control Of ScanEagle From Wedgetail Raven UAS Achieves 30-Hour Persistent Surveillance Russia Defense Watch: UAVs from Israel Pakistan highlights 'gap' with US over drone attacks
IRAQ WARS A new idea for Baghdad security: anti-terrorist trees It will take Iraq time to put down extremists: Petraeus Iraq says Qaeda boss captured as dozens killed Al-Qaeda's man in Iraq still an enigma	MILTECH Seven nations still shunning chemical weapons pact Pentagon agency at source of harsh interrogation techniques: probe PDR Validates Maturity Of Future Combat Systems Common Controller Northrop Grumman Upgrades Ship Navigation Radars With Enhanced Naval Display Features

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement