|
|
 Japan Brief |
| 【Japan Brief】UN Security Council Adopts Presidential Statement Condemning North Korea |
Japan Brief / FPCJ, No. 0921
April 15, 2009
UN Security Council Adopts Presidential Statement
Condemning North Korea
In response to North Korea’s missile launch reported earlier, the United Nations Security Council on April 13 adopted a presidential statement condemning the launch. The presidential statement said clearly that the launch was in contravention of Security Council Resolution 1718 of 2006, demanded that North Korea not conduct any further launch, and called on all UN member states to comply fully with their obligations to implement sanctions against North Korea under that resolution.
According to reports by Japan’s main newspapers, at first the Japanese government had urged the adoption of a binding resolution, but China and Russia remained cautious of going that far out of concern for the possible impact on the six-party talks. In the end, therefore, the UN Security Council adopted a nonbinding presidential statement. Following strong insistence by Japan, however, the presidential statement carried a severe condemnation of North Korea, saying that its latest launch contravened the Security Council resolution.
In response to the UN Security Council’s adoption of the presidential statement, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone issued a statement on April 14 describing it as “an exceptionally strongly worded statement, of high significance for the security not only of Japan, which was exposed to the most serious danger posed by the missile launch, but also of the Northeast Asia region as a whole.” Foreign Minister Nakasone said that Japan urged North Korea to take the presidential statement seriously and comply fully with Resolution 1718.
Prior to the UN Security Council’s adoption of the presidential statement, the cabinet on April 10 decided to extend by a year Japan’s current unilateral sanctions against North Korea, centered on a ban on imports from North Korea and port entry by North Korean ships. In addition, as further sanctions following the missile launch, the government announced tighter controls on carrying cash and sending money to North Korea.
According to newspaper reports, following the UN Security Council’s adoption of the presidential statement, the North Korean Foreign Ministry on April 14 issued a statement of protest which announced that North Korea would withdraw from the six-party talks and resume its nuclear development.
Newspaper Commentaries
On April 14 and 15 all five of Japan’s main newspapers carried editorials on the UN Security Council’s adoption of the presidential statement and the North Korean government’s response.
Under the headline “North Korea’s defiance: Pyongyang must return to the negotiating table,” the Asahi Shimbun editorial (April 15) gave a positive appraisal of the presidential statement, saying that “Although it has no binding power, we applaud it as a unanimous message from the international community.” In response to North Korea’s announcement immediately afterward that it would withdraw from the six-party talks and resume its nuclear development, the Asahi stated, “The reclusive dictatorship is obviously sticking to its brinkmanship diplomacy of creating a crisis and ‘blackmailing’ the world to get what it wants. With no prospects of progress on the abduction issue, all Japan can feel is mounting outrage.” Expressing hope for the roles of the United States and China in finding a way out of the situation, it went on, “But since using armed force is not a viable option, Japan and the rest of the world can only keep trying to contain North Korea’s ‘adventurism,’ urging it to change course and concentrate on diplomacy to realize the goal as soon as possible.”
The Yomiuri Shimbun editorial, headlined “N. Korea’s provocation must not be tolerated,” was strongly critical of North Korea, emphasizing that “North Korea’s latest announcement represents a provocation against the consensus reached by the international community” and “Pyongyang’s actions will heighten tensions across East Asia and run counter to efforts to secure peace and stability in the region.” It added, “The other participants in the six-party talks—Japan, China, Russia, South Korea, and the United States—must be united in taking strong action against North Korea if it behaves in a manner that violates an agreement reached in the negotiations.”
The Mainichi Shimbun editorial of April 14, titled “Security Council’s presidential statement: China’s responsibility gets heavier,” commented, “It is unfortunate that the Security Council did not adopt a new resolution as Japan had sought, but nevertheless Japan’s opinions are reflected to a considerable extent in the wording of the statement. We highly evaluate the fact that the international community moved in unison to condemn North Korea.” In its April 15 editorial, headlined “North Korea’s declaration requires undaunted and decisive response,” the Mainichi criticized North Korea’s reaction as “typical brinkmanship diplomacy, just like North Korea” and continued, “More than anything else, it is important for Japan, the United States, and South Korea not to be swayed by Pyongyang’s belligerence but to proceed with a unified and decisive response.” Having said that, though, it went on to conclude, “While rejecting any easy compromise, it should be possible to explore the path to a solution of the problem through negotiations. We hope that the countries concerned will make persistent efforts.”
Meanwhile, under the headline “Presidential statement reveals hollowing of six-party talks,” The Nikkei editorial (April 15) pointed out that the negotiations on this matter in the UN Security Council had run into difficulty through the different intentions of Japan, the United States, China, and Russia. It observed, “The negotiations indicate the difficulty of these four countries making a united stand against North Korea even in the six-party talks, which is a more informal framework than the Security Council. The reason probably is that these four countries do not share the same recognition of the threat posed by North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons and missiles.” The Nikkei urged China and Russia to recognize as soon as possible “the obvious fact that North Korea, which has not abolished its nuclear program and is carrying out missile tests, threatens the security of the region as a whole, including these two countries.”
The Sankei Shimbun editorial (April 15), headlined “Security Council’s presidential statement: Complete fulfillment of sanctions against North Korea required,” criticized the fact that Russia, China, and finally even the United States, avoided adopting a resolution out of concern about the impact on the six-party talks. In the end, the Sankei observed, in view of the hard-line stance shown by North Korea, “It is clear that making concessions out of concern for North Korea’s reaction has no effect and is of no use at all. The United States, China, and Russia must review their understanding regarding negotiations with Pyongyang. They should adopt a strict stance from now on.” In order also to bring North Korea back to the six-party talks, it concluded, “It is essential for the United States, China, Russia and also Japan and South Korea to be united in thoroughly implementing sanctions against North Korea. We hope that these countries devote their utmost efforts toward increasing the pressure on Pyongyang.”
(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center, Japan)
*Japan Brief is an original production of the Foreign Press Center, Japan, and does not represent the views of the Government of Japan or of any other body.
＜Related Articles＞
-US President Obama Lays Out Overall Strategy Toward Nuclear-Free World(2009-04-09)
-North Korea Conducts Missile Launch(2009-04-06)
-Abductee’s Family Members Meet Former North Korean Spy(2009-03-12)
-【Press Briefing Report】Prof. Masao Okonogi, Keio Univ.: North Korean Issues and the New U.S. Regime(2009-03-10) |
|
|
|
