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Japan Says North Korea Must First Dismantle Nuclear Weapons

Posted on: Tuesday, 20 September 2005, 03:01 CDT

Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo

Tokyo, 20 September: Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura criticized on Tuesday [20 September] North Korea's insistence that it be given light-water nuclear reactors before dismantling its nuclear weapons, saying such a claim is "unacceptable."

"We cannot accept the claim," Machimura told a news conference, adding that issues concerning the reactors would be discussed after North Korea abandons its nuclear weapons and returns to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

North Korea said in its statement earlier in the day that it will not dismantle its nuclear weapons and not return to the NPT until it is given the reactors.

"The United States should not even dream of the issue of the DPRK's dismantlement of its nuclear deterrent before providing light- water reactors, a physical guarantee for confidence-building," said the statement from a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The statement was issued a day after North Korea agreed in a joint statement adopted at the six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing to give up all its nuclear weapons and programmes, rejoin the NPT and allow safeguard inspections under the International Atomic Energy Agency in exchange for energy aid and security assurances.

The joint statement also said that the parties agree to discuss "at an appropriate time" the subject of the provision of a light- water nuclear reactor.

Machimura said that Japan as well as South Korea and the United States stressed during the six-nation talks that the subject of giving North Korea a light-water reactor will be discussed at an appropriate time after the North dismantles its nuclear weapons and returns to the NPT.

In a separate news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda also said he believes the five countries under the six-party framework do not share Pyongyang's understanding.

"We believe that all nuclear weapons and nuclear programmes should be abandoned, and (the North) should promise its early return to IAEA safeguard inspections," Hosoda said.

Machimura, meanwhile, welcomed the adoption of the joint statement at the six-party talks, saying it was "meaningful," but cited that a tough road lies ahead.

The six nations, which also include China and Russia, agreed at the talks in Beijing that they will convene the next and fifth round of negotiations in early November.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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