A rchive Date
[ 11-01-2003 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ North Korea ]
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[http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2003/01/10/9973-ap.html
Alarm greets N. Korea's decision
Fri, January 10, 2003
LONDON (AP) - North Korea was roundly condemned Friday for its decision to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and for its warnings of a possible new world war.
Neighbouring South Korea said the crisis was a matter of "life and death" and China voiced concern but promised to look for a negotiated solution. The United States said it was not surprised by North Korea's move. Japan, which could become an easy target of a North Korean nuclear attack, called on its regional neighbour to reverse course.
Germany, France, Russia, Sweden and Britain denounced the North Korean move, while Australia, a close U.S. ally, said it would send a diplomatic team to Pyongyang next week.
In Vienna, the UN nuclear agency urged North Korea to seek a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis and to reverse its withdrawal from the treaty.
Unlike its earlier pronouncement on the crisis however, this time there was no mention of taking the case to the Security Council, which carries with it an implied threat of sanctions. North Korea has warned that sanctions would bring serious consequences.
In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said: "Our nation will strongly demand from North Korea a quick retraction of its statement and a positive response to solving the nuclear weapons problem."
Stock prices tumbled on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the dollar rose against the yen.
"When you realize that Japan's the one within reach of North Korea's missiles, you don't really want to be buying the yen," said Minoru Shioiri, manager of foreign exchange at Mitsubishi Securities.
South Korea's main index dropped right after the announcement but recovered later in the day to close down 0.3 per cent. Markets elsewhere in the region shrugged off the fears and closed higher.
Pyongyang announced its withdrawal from the 1968 treaty, a key to preventing nuclear proliferation globally, on Friday and said it would be effective as of Saturday. The treaty requires signatories to give three months notice.
In declaring the move, North Korea said it was necessary because of U.S. aggression but that it would not develop nuclear weapons "at this stage."
"This is not at all unexpected," said John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, who was visiting Thailand. "The North Koreans were not adhering to the treaty when they were still a party to it," he said.
China, one of the North's few strong allies, promised to continue efforts to solve the problem peacefully.
"We are concerned about (North Korea's) announcement to withdraw from the treaty, as well as consequences possibly caused by the withdrawal," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Zhang Qiyue, told the official Xinhua news agency.
South Korea's government convened an emergency meeting of its security council. President Kim Dae-jung, who leaves office next month after years of trying to build bridges with the North, said talks would be key to a solution.
"The nuclear issue is tied to our life and death," Kim said. "We must have the patience to resolve the issue peacefully."
Before the North's announcement, president-elect Roh Moo-hyun had warned it was dangerous to punish Pyongyang for its nuclear ambitions.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said North Korea's decision "can only aggravate the already tense atmosphere around the Korean peninsula, and strike a significant blow to universal international legal instruments for the provision of global and regional security."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said called the decision 'obviously a matter of concern" and said it should be brought before the Security Council.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called the treaty "the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, supported by almost every country in the world." "North Korea's action is therefore a matter of deep concern for the entire international community."
Only four other countries - Cuba, India, Israel and Pakistan - are not signatories, though Cuba is a member of a treaty establishing a nuclear-free zone in Latin America.
French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, on a visit to China, said Asia, the United States and Europe must stand together. "France condemns North Korea's decision," de Villepin said in a speech to students at Shanghai's Fudan University. "North Korea must understand that it has no other choice but to denounce its nuclear program."
The European Union's Foreign and Security Policy Chief Javier Solana expressed "grave concern."
"I strongly urge the authorities in Pyongyang to reconsider their decision and to restate their commitment to (nuclear) non-proliferation and to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," Solana said in a statement.
 World Fact Book (CIA)]
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