China Urges Japan to Give N. Korea Energy Aid

Beijing, Feb. 15 (Jiji Press)–China on Thursday urged Japan to give North Korea energy aid under a six-party deal.

China hopes that Japan will settle problems with North Korea through dialogue and play an active role in the process of denuclearizing the North, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference.

All countries involved in the six-way talks, including Japan, have made a clear promise to reward North Korea in order to achieve goals set forward in a September 2005 joint statement, under which Pyongyang pledged to abandon its nuclear programs, Jiang said.

North Korea Tuesday agreed to start dismantling its nuclear programs in exchange for one million tons of fuel.

But Japan has stuck to its insistence that Tokyo cannot provide energy aid to North Korea because no progress has been made on the issue of abductions of Japanese nationals.

The six-party talks involve the two Koreas, Japan, the United States, China and Russia.END

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