Nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea

Secretary of State &to= english.pravda.ru/politics/2002/04/19/27806.html ' target=_blank>Colin L. Powell joined with Japanese leaders today to appeal again to North Korea to resume the stalled negotiations over the future of its nuclear program, and not to see a set of upcoming &to= english.pravda.ru/main/18/87/346/10727_navy.html ' target=_blank>naval exercises as provocative or an excuse for further delay. Addressing another sensitive matter on his stop in Tokyo, Mr. Powell also said the United States and Japan would intensify discussions in coming months on a possible reduction of American forces in Japan, particularly Okinawa, in tandem with a similar reduction that is being implemented in South Korea. The subjects of troop strength in East Asia and how to deal with the threat of North Korea were among several matters taken up by the secretary in his first trip to Japan in a year and a half. He also met today with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. From here, Mr. Powell is to go to China and South Korea, where he is also expected to press the cause of resuming negotiations with &to= english.pravda.ru/world/ 20/91/366/10578_koreanuclear.html ' target=_blank>North Korea. Perhaps not by coincidence, Mr. Powell's trip comes at a time of a well-publicized naval exercise to be conducted off the coast of Japan, aimed at thwarting the shipment of ingredients that could be used to make nuclear, chemical and biological arms. The exercises have drawn criticism from North Korea, which sees them as hostile. The exercises - with American, French, Australian and Japanese forces scheduled to participate - have stirred unusual publicity in the region in recent weeks, informs the NYTimes. According to ABC News, secretary of State Colin Powell pressed North Korea on Sunday to return to nuclear disarmament talks even as he branded the communist country a "terrorist state" that has "no respect for human rights." Powell's strong comments came after North Korea accused the United States of "evermore hostile acts," including U.S. participation in a multinational naval exercise set to begin Monday off the Japanese coast. The maneuvers are part of an effort to curb the smuggling of missiles and nuclear technology on the high seas. North Korea dominated Powell's discussions in Japan with &to= english.pravda.ru/world/2003/01/15/42085.html ' target=_blank>Prime Minister Junichiro and other officials. Later, Powell flew to China where he planned talks on Monday with President Hu Jintao on North Korea, Taiwan and other issues. As Powell left Japan, where he flatly denied North Korean claims that the United States is trying to sabotage the multi-nation talks aimed at ending the deadlock, Pyongyang intensified its ever potent anti-US diatribe. A day after threatening to bolster its military deterrent to counter "hostile" American acts, North Korea blasted a US-led joint naval exercise due to be held off Japan this week and accused the United States of being a "real criminal" intent on disturbing peace. Minju Joson, the newspaper issued by the Stalinist state's cabinet, said the 22-nation drill "suggests that the US intends to lay an international siege to the DPRK (North Korea) through naval blockade in a bid to stifle it. "The US pays lip service to 'peaceful solution to the nuclear issue' ... while talking about the resumption of the six-party talks, but this can never cover up the true colors of the US as a real criminal," it said. In Japan Powell denied Pyongyang's persistent allegations of "hostile" US intent and said Washington and Tokyo both felt "a sense of urgency" in convincing North Korea to return without conditions to the six-nation talks, reports Channelnewsasia.

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