Asian and Western powers wrapped up their annual security talks here, but were struggling to finalize a joint statement on North Korea, apparently in the face of the communist state's threat to boycott the forum.
"Most ministers expressed concern over the test-firing of missiles...and such tests could have adverse repercussions on peace, stability and security in the region," a draft statement circulated at ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) read.
It added that "The ministers urged the DPRK (North Korea) in this regard to reestablish its moratorium on missile testing."
"The member countries are still in the process of fine-tuning the wording," a South Korean delegate said, denying a report by The Associated Press that a joint statement was already adopted.
AP reported that the annual security conference issued a toned-down statement Friday.
Earlier in the day, North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun said that his country will reconsider its membership in the forum if it adopts a statement rebuking Pyongyang's recent missile tests.
The North also rejected appeals to rejoin the six-way talks on its nuclear weapons program.
Instead, South Korea and the United States had a group meeting here Friday with eight of their allies to discuss the North Korean crisis.
The informal gathering, chaired by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, brought together top officials from China, Russia, Japan, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, and New Zealand.
The nations participating in the 10-way meeting stressed that it was not aimed at further isolating North Korea.
"It's going to be a general discussion on (security) issues in Northeast Asia," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters. "It's not a new grouping, just a discussion."
During the 10-way meeting South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon called for the international community to show both firmness and flexibility in dealing with the North, which faces further sanctions in line with the latest U.N. resolution rebuking its recent missile launches.
"In implementing the resolution, the Republic of Korea believes that the international community should pursue a two-pronged approach at this particular juncture," Ban said.
"One is to send a clear and united message to North Korea, in order to prevent North Korea from taking any further provocative actions," he said. "The other is to make diplomatic efforts to reconvene the six-party talks, which have not been held for the last eight months."
As the security conference ended with no major breakthrough on the North Korean issue, the U.S. will likely ratchet up economic pressure on the impoverished nation, observers said.
That is why South Korean officials say the ARF could be the last chance for the North to avoid additional sanctions endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, they added.
North Korea said it does not care about the U.S.'s move to impose additional sanctions against Pyongyang.
Undersecretary of the Treasury Stuart Levey said in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday that the U.N. member states should freeze the assets of 11 North Korean entities that Washington designated last year as proliferators of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, as the first step in implementing the recent U.N. resolution against Pyongyang for its missile tests.
"It shows Washington's intention of putting more pressure on us.
We do not care about it," said Jung Sung-il, the spokesman for the North Korean delegation.
Kuala Lumpur, July 28 (Yonhap News)
Security talks end with watered-down statement on N. Korea in process |
