South Africa is ”well placed” to discuss this week’s missile tests with North Korea, Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister said on Thursday, citing Pretoria’s good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.
North Korea on Wednesday fired a salvo of seven missiles of various types into the Sea of Japan that separates the Korean peninsula from the Japanese islands, sparking an international outcry.
Yasuhisa Shiozaki made the comments at the opening of a South Africa-Japanese partnership forum meeting in Pretoria.
”So we will discuss this issue [with South Africa],” Shiozaki was quoted as saying by the local South African Press Agency, adding that while South Africa had diplomatic ties with North Korea it also championed democracy and human rights.
North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hyong Jun jets into the country next week for a one-day visit with talks expected to touch on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, South Africa’s Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said on Tuesday.
South Africa would not comment on Wednesday on the missile tests, which North Korea said it conducted in self defence.
An unnamed official however said Pahad was likely to discuss the issue with Kim Hyong Jun on Tuesday during a scheduled meeting at the Union Buildings.
Pahad said this week the upcoming meeting was ”within the context of [stalled] six-party talks, involving the United States, Japan, Russia, China and both North and South Korea.”
Pahad told reporters North Korea’s test firing of missiles was a matter of concern to South Africa.
”It’s an indication that it is becoming a very dangerous issue.”
He said he hoped that ”good sense would prevail”.
Shiozaki said Japan had already taken some action, including imposing sanctions on North Korea and was working under a United Nations Security Council resolution on the issue.
”We want to avoid this kind of risk that places Japan’s security, safety in the region and the world as a whole at risk,” Shiozaki added.
Diplomacy best way to solve crisis
Meanwhile, China rebuffed calls on Thursday to impose sanctions on North Korea, but insisted it was doing its best to solve the crisis with its top nuclear envoy to travel next week to Pyongyang.
China reiterated its deep concern over the missile launches, but maintained diplomacy, and not sanctions or threats, was the best way to resolve the issue.
”Practice tells us dialogue and consultation are effective ways to solve problems,” foreign ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said when asked whether China would support the United Nations Security Council imposing sanctions against North Korea.
”We think the Security Council should make a necessary response but the response should be helpful to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and should help diplomatic efforts.”
Jiang insisted China was doing its best to ease tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, following heavy pressure from the United States that Beijing do more to influence its long-time ally and neighbour.
”China is making unremitting efforts to resolve this issue through peaceful dialogue,” Jiang said, adding the stalled six-nation talks aimed at curtailing North Korea’s nuclear ambitions remained the most effective diplomatic vehicle.
”The six-party talks have got the recognition of the international community as a peaceful way to resolve the issue through dialogue.
”China believes this is an effective way to resolve the North Korean issue.”
China is the host of the talks — which also involve the Koreas, the US, Japan and Russia — but they have been stalled since November last year over Pyongyang’s objections to US financial sanctions against it.
Jiang said the nation’s chief envoy to the six-nation talks, Wu Dawei, would travel to Pyongyang on Monday as part of a delegation to attend celebrations for the 45th anniversary of a friendship treaty between the two countries.
Jiang announced last week that Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu would lead the delegation from July 10 to 15, although Thursday was the first time the government had said Wu, also Deputy Foreign Minister, would attend.
Jiang refused to say that Wu was going to North Korea because of the escalation in tensions following the launching of the missiles, but said he would discuss issues of ”mutual concern” while in Pyongyang.
Wu is also slated to meet the chief US negotiator to the six-party talks, Christopher Hill, in Beijing on Friday.
Hill on Wednesday repeated US calls for China, a major donor of economic and energy aid to its impoverished neighbour, to do more to pressure Kim Jong-Il into dismantling his nation’s missile and nuclear programmes.
”We need China to be very, very firm with their neighbours and frankly with their long-term allies the North Koreans, on what is acceptable behavior and what is not acceptable behavior,” Hill said.
Japan and the United States, with support from Britain, prepared a draft UN Security Council resolution on Wednesday to condemn North Korea’s actions.
However there was no immediate agreement due to China and Russia, both veto-wielding permanent members of the council, opposing any hint of sanctions. – AFP
