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TOKYO/KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22: The United States nudged China on Saturday to put more pressure on North Korea to curb its nuclear ambitions, as Pyongyang agreed to a statement with fellow non-aligned countries stressing non-proliferation.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived in Tokyo on a four-day trip to Asia, said he would remind China of its considerable influence with North Korea.
At a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur, North Korean officials agreed to a joint statement that emphasized the importance of its participation in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, from which it withdrew last month.
Powell’s trip will take him on to Beijing and Seoul, where he will attend Tuesday’s inauguration of South Korean President-elect Roh Moo-hyun and is expected to announce a new instalment of US food aid to North Korea.
The trip will be dominated by efforts to build consensus on how to deal with North Korea’s suspected nuclear weapons programme, which China and South Korea would prefer to see settled via direct Washington-Pyongyang talks.
Powell was expected to urge Beijing to use its economic and diplomatic influence on North Korea.
“They have leverage,” Powell told reporters on his way to Tokyo, citing Chinese fuel supplies, trade and economic aid to Pyongyang.
“But I don’t have any specific request (I’m) taking to the Chinese leadership as to how they should use that right now other than to make the point to them that they do have considerable influence with (Pyongyang).”
NON-PROLIFERATION: At the Non-Aligned Movement meeting, hours of committee debate resulted in an appeal for peace and a formula of words watering down calls on Pyongyang to reconsider its withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) into a reminder of the importance of the treaty, delegates said.
“The heads of state or government of the parties to the NPT noted the withdrawal of the DPRK (North Korea) from the NPT and underlined the importance of the participation of the DPRK in the treaty,” said the draft statement.
“We appeal to the parties directly concerned to explore peaceful ways and means to resolve issues with regard to the DPRK’s withdrawal from the NPT as an expression of their goodwill,” the draft said.
The statement will go before non-aligned leaders at their summit on Monday and Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, North Korea dropped differences with the other 113 Non-Aligned Movement members and agreed to another statement on trying to reunify by peaceful means the Korean peninsula, which has been divided for more than half a century.
FOOD AID: Japan has been supportive of the US position on North Korea and there were no signs of discord as Powell met Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and then dined with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.
“We both shared concerns about the nuclear programme in North Korea and North Korea’s missile programme as well,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, saying both sides agreed on “close coordination” as they seek a peaceful outcome.
The United States has sought, without much visible success, to persuade regional powers, notably China, to pressure North Korea to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons programme.
The latest crisis on the divided Korean Peninsula began in October, when US officials said North Korea had admitted to pursuing a covert nuclear weapons programme in violation of its international commitments.
It has escalated as Pyongyang expelled International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, said it would pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and threatened to resume missile testing and abandon the 1953 Korean war armistice.—AFP
