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U.N.'s Next Leader Urges North Korea to Comply NewsMax.com Wires UNITED NATIONS -- South Korea's foreign minister, who has promised to make peace with North Korea a top priority as the new U.N. secretary-general, said Saturday the global community must engage the reclusive country in talks over its nuclear program, not just punish it with sanctions.
Ban Ki-moon, who was appointed Friday to succeed Kofi Annan on Jan. 1, said in an interview with the Associated Press that he welcomed the U.N. Security Council's "very clear, strong and unified message to North Korea" in the resolution it adopted Saturday, declaring Pyongyang's claimed nuclear test unacceptable.
The resolution demanded that North Korea give up nuclear weapons, and banned the country from exporting or importing any material for its weapons or ballistic missile programs. It also called on all countries to inspect cargo to or from the North to interdict weapons smuggling, and ordered governments to freeze all assets and ban the travel of anyone involved in illegal trafficking.
"I hope that North Korea will comply with this resolution," Ban said. "I hope that all member states of the United Nations will fully implement this resolution." Story Continues Below
The resolution expressly rules out military action against North Korea, and Ban stressed in the interview that "we need a two-pronged approach at this time," relying not only on sanctions but on dialogue and talks. He urged the North Koreans to return to six-nation talks which Pyongyang has boycotted for 13 months to protest financial measures imposed by the United States for alleged counterfeiting and money-laundering. The boycott began just after an agreement in September 2005 in which the North agreed to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees and aid. "North Korea should return to the six-party process immediately without any preconditions," Ban said. "We need to have the North Koreans get on board with the negotiations." "We hope that the North Koreans will take a more reasonable and practical approach for the future. A much brighter future lies ahead if they implement the joint statement adopted last year," he said, referring to its September 2005 pledge to abandon its weapons program. Ban said he was "very much disappointed" at Saturday's statement by North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon, who rejected the resolution and accused the council of a "gangster-like action." Pak said Pyongyang conducted the nuclear test "to protect its sovereignty" in the face of escalating U.S. threats and sanctions. He added that North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons if it didn't face continued threats from the U.S., stressing the country is ready for dialogue but prepared for confrontation if U.S. pressure intensifies. "I am very much frustrated at the path North Korea has taken of testing nuclear weapons in violation of all existing regulations and conventions and treaties to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Ban said. The test was conducted "in total disrespect" of South Korea's humanitarian aid, exchanges and cooperation with the North, he said. Ban said last month that if he became secretary-general, he would use his authority to further peace, inter-Korean reconciliation, and a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue. He also said he wanted to go to North Korea, something Annan never did. Asked when he would visit the North, Ban said, "First of all I have to see how the situation develops." "As the Security Council has adopted a very strong resolution, we will see how the resolution is implemented," he added.
© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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