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APEC nations tell N. Korea to scrap nuclear weapons
( 2002-10-28 09:40 ) (7 )

Pacific Rim leaders told North Korea on Sunday to scrap its nuclear weapons program, saying it could miss out on the economic benefits of regional cooperation if it fails to comply.

The call, in fairly tough language, reflected remarkable unity of views on a development that has placed several Asian nations, including South Korea and Japan, within reach of a potential North Korean nuclear strike.

In a rare joint political statement, the 21 economies that comprise the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum urged that the crisis on the Korean peninsula, divided by one of the most heavily fortified borders on Earth, be resolved through peaceful means.

"We call upon the DPRK (North Korea) to visibly honour its commitment to give up nuclear weapons programs and reaffirm our commitment to ensure a peaceful resolution of this issue," the statement said.

US President George W. Bush was at the summit and pushed the other APEC leaders to help isolate North Korean President Kim Jong-il.

North Korea triggered a crisis by admitting earlier this month it had violated a 1994 agreement with the United States, Japan and South Korea to control its nuclear program. US officials believe the program has spawned one or two nuclear bombs.

"We uphold that a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula is important to the peace and stability of the Peninsula and Northeast Asia, and is also in the interests of all members of the region," the APEC statement said.

The group also warned of possible difficulties for DPRK if it does not comply.

"We note the potential for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to benefit economically from greater participation as a member of the Asia-Pacific community," their statement said. "Such a prospect will rest upon a nuclear weapons-free status on the Korean Peninsula."

US PRESSURE

The statement came a day after Bush held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and agreed on a demand that Pyongyang dismantle its nuclear weapons program "in a prompt and verifiable manner".

The three did not spell out the consequences of inaction.

However, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said diplomatic and political pressure would be applied.

On Friday, Bush won a pledge to seek a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula from Chinese President Jiang Zemin, whose government is North Korea's biggest provider of economic aid.

North Korea was a dominant theme at APEC for Bush, who is seeking a common strategy for dealing peacefully with the North Korean challenge by consulting key allies in Asia as well as Russia and Europe.

Bush, who has been threatening military action against Iraq over Baghdad's suspected weapons of mass destruction, said that the United States "has no intention of invading North Korea".

Both Japan's Koizumi and South Korea's Kim said they would continue their nations' normalization talks with North Korea as a way to keep open lines of communication and channel concerns about the nuclear program.

Powell made clear, however, that the United States would not resume talks with North Korea, and said the United States would not promise assistance to North Korea in exchange for its abandoning the nuclear program.