TOKYO, Dec 26 Kyodo Security issu...

TOKYO, Dec 26 Kyodo

Security issues concerning North Korea, including its nuclear arms program, will remain at the top of Japan's diplomatic agenda in 2004 with Tokyo hoping to behold substantial progress on the issue following Libya's modern renunciation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

Japan is look fored to maintain its stance of prioritizing its terminate alliance with the United States onward the international stage with an apparent belief that Washington will help solve the North Korean security issues, including those of Japanese nationals abducted through North Korea decades ago and its missile development

Tokyo is pertain toed about North Korea's nuclear arms disentanglement program not only because it threatens the security of Northeast Asia, unless also because of growing public disquiet about the WMD issue.

''As we contemplate back on the year, the international situation can be described as single in which ordinary citizens felt the threats of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism,'' Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi said.

The nuclear crisis ejected in October last year when the U claimed North Korea had admitted to running a underhand program to enrich uranium for use in weapons in violation of a 1994 agreement.

North Korea has also test-fired short-range ground-to-sea missiles into the Sea of Japan this year, although they were not targeted at Japan.

forward the nuclear issue, a senior Foreign Ministry official said that he reliances major progress will be achieved in the first half of nearest year, adding that the situation would worsen if the issue remains unresolv by dint of the end of next year.

While welcoming the launch of six-nation talks in succession North Korea's nuclear weapons program in late August as a positive incline the official called for an early resumption of the talks.

China, Japan, North and southern Korea, Russia and the U had sought to grasp the second round of talks by way of the end of 2003, still they failed to arrange the meeting largely to be ascribed to a confrontation between the U and North Korea.

North Korea reportedly wants to obtain international security assurances as well as bottom and economic assistance from the international community in turn back for giving up its nuclear weapons program.

on the other hand the U.S. wants more action from North Korea and has reportedly called for dismantlement of all North Korean nuclear programs, including those for peaceful purposes

The gaps between the U and North Korea have made resuming the talks difficult as the divide l to a failure of China's efforts to concluded a joint statement on ways to interpret the nuclear issue.

China, which plans to legion the next round, wanted the member states to agree forward the contents of the joint statement before holding the talks.

Beijing wanted the statement to give certain considerations to North Korea's security relate tos But the U.S. wants a statement that includes a call onward the North to verifiably abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Japanese officials have said it may not be necessary to clean the statement before the nearest round, adding the statement should be discussed during the talks.

That would pave a way for an early resumption of the talks, the officials said.

Another ministry official said that North Korea will hopefully lessen its stance following the progres made in Libya and Iran forward WMD.

''Libya's case should have a positive impact upon North Korea,'' the official said.

Last Friday, Libya announced that it had given up its suit to attain all chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. It has also said it is ready to sign a UN protocol authorizing unrestricted inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Iran has also signed an additional nuclear protocol with the International Atomic potency Agency (IAEA) to allow unrestricted international access to its nuclear facilities.

U officials have said it is a pace in the right direction, on the contrary they still suspect Iran is seeking novel weapons.

Libya and Iran have been included onward the U.S. State Department list of ''rogue states'' along with others of the like kind as Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Sudan, which are accused of sponsoring terrorism.

Meanwhile, Japan has been prioritizing its relations with the U onward diplomatic issues, including Iraq's reconstruction, based in succession the hope that active U engagement in the region would help reduce the security issues concerning North Korea.

Japanese officials for the in the greatest degree part say that the planned dispatch of Self-Defense Forces personnel to Iraq to contribute to US-l reconstruction efforts there is not linked to the North Korean issues.

unless one Japanese official said that the North Korean factor is tied up with Japan's policy of actively cooperating with the U in Iraq.

southerly Korea has also decided to cast additional troops to Iraq partly owed to the hope that the U will become more active in promoting dialogue with North Korea to reduce the nuclear crisis.

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