Washington stresses need for ’unified voice’ in dealing with North
Washington has voiced worries over deepening fault lines between South Korea and Japan over how to respond to North Korea’s recent missile launches, but has maintained its neutral position for fear of undermining diplomatic ties with its Asian allies. After the North test-fired seven missiles--including a long-range ballistic rocket--on June 5, in defiance of repeated warnings by the international community, Tokyo suggested a possible preemptive strike against foreign bases deemed to be dangerous to its citizens, apparently referring to the communist state. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his opposition to Tokyo’s comments, saying that they would not be helpful in improving the current situation on the Korean Peninsula.The U.S. does not directly make comments on the disagreement between Seoul and Tokyo, said a government official on condition of anonymity, "but [some U.S. officials] see it wrong for Japan to mention a possible preemptive attack." According to the official, though the U.S. government is displeased with Japan’s recent comments on the North, it remains reluctant to join sides for fear of increasing the conflict between Seoul and Tokyo over the issue. U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, when asked at a regular press briefing about disagreement between countries on how to address North Korean issues, said that difference in point of view "exists at any given point in time in multilateral diplomacy." McCormack went on to say that Washington was confident that the countries involved "will come together to face what they see as a common problem." Christopher Hill, top U.S. envoy for the six-party talks on the North’s nuclear program, also maintained that there should be a unified international voice in dealing with the communist state. Hill is currently visiting China in an apparent bid to diffuse heightened tensions in the region following the North’s missile launches. The six-party talks have been in a stalemate after a brief session last November, as the North is angered over U.S. economic sanctions placed on its overseas assets.
