While South Africa will urge North Korea to stop its missile testing, it is not convinced that United Nations Security Council action is the best way to solve the crisis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Friday.
”We’ll be trying to convince everybody, the North Koreans, that it’s not in their interest, it’s not in the interest of the region, [and] it’s not in the interest of international peace and stability to open another front of tension,” he said on Friday.
”Japan is taking the matter to the Security Council … so if the Security Council decides it’s a threat to world peace and security and imposes sanctions … it’s no longer a debate, it’s something you would have to implement,” Pahad said.
His statements follow the conclusion of the eighth session of the South Africa-Japan partnership forum, which was held in Pretoria. During the forum Pahad briefly met Japan’s Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, who had to fly back to Japan due to the missile crisis.
On Thursday, Shiozaki said South African diplomatic ties to North Korea place it in a good position to discuss the crisis.
Pahad said the issue will be on the agenda for a meeting on Tuesday with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Hyong Jun. ”We [will] discuss the issue as it was on the agenda even before the current crisis,” Pahad said.
North Korea test-fired seven missiles on Wednesday, including, for the first time, a Taepodong-2, believed to be able to hit Alaska or Hawaii. It crashed in the Sea of Japan. North Korea has said it is considering conducting more tests.
”They are testing much more longer-range missiles; it does change the balance and it does introduce a whole new element,” Pahad said.
Yoichi Otabe, personal representative for Japan’s prime minister to Africa and director general for African affairs, said Japan appreciates South Africa sharing its concerns over the missile crisis. ”I do hope that North Korea will agree to come back to the table of the six parties without any conditions and as soon as possible,” he said. — Sapa