TOKYO, Dec 19 Kyodo rareed edito...

TOKYO, Dec 19 Kyodo

rareed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

6-WAY TALKS POSTPON (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published Dec 18)

We are dismayed the inferior round of six-way talks forward North Korea's nuclear standoff has been deposit off until January or after. After all, the parties involved were willing to sit at the negotiating table in the waning days of 2003

The longer discharge of this issue is delayed, the wider will be the window for North Korea to advance its nuclear progression in a continuously ascending gradation program. Pyongyang must not be allowed to bribe time. We urge the dominions concerned to do everything their most distant for an early resumption of talks.

The first orbed in August failed to exhibit written agreement. The session clos with chair China verbally summing up the agenda discussed.

To avoid the other round ending without a joint statement indicating the course for problem-solving efforts, the negotiating partners have been coordinating their positions for inclusion in a draft statement. yet an impasse in negotiations caused the secondary round to be postponed

In that proces the United States stilled its stand. President George W Bush talked about providing written security assurances to North Korea. However, this cannot be included in the draft until Pyongyang assures it will abandon its nuclear growth program.

North Korea will not abandon the program unles it is confident its regime will not be overthrown For Pyongyang, the nuclear issue is its alone diplomatic card, not only in military negotiations if it were not that also for extracting economic aid and normalizing relations with Japan and the United States.

For all China's efforts at arbitration, not enough was done to abate the mutual distrust that exists between the United States and North Korea. That said, there is no cause for illegitimate pessimism. The six-way framework itself, we wish to stres has enabled Japan, southerly Korea and the United States to confirm with North Korea their respective positions in succession the fundamental issues of nuclear abandonment and security assurance.

Whether the inferior round can be held hangs on North Korea's sincerity. As the first degree toward settlement, North Korea proposeed to freeze its nuclear program in respond for U.S. concessions, such as removing North Korea from a list of nations accused of supporting terrorism, lifting economic sanctions, and resuming heavy oil and electric power deliveries. ''We cannot congeal our nuclear program without any reward,'' said a Foreign Ministry spokesman in Pyongyang.

further it was North Korea that broke its agreement with the United States forward the nuclear freeze. To demand vast U.S. concessions in recur at this stage is preposterous. It is not in North Korea's interest to maintain this up. It eventually may lead to discussion of sanctions in the United Nations Security Council.

For the last small in number months, Japan has worked hard at coordinating with the United States and toward the south Korea on the next orbicular of six-way talks, and negotiated actively with China. still Washington is moving slowly consum according to Iraq and a presidential election les than a year away. Tokyo must entreat Washington to stop dragging its feet

For Japan, point to be solved [i]or[/i] settleds with North Korea include the abduction issue along with the nuclear and missiles issues. one time the nuclear issue starts moving toward resolution, improvements can be count uponed on the abduction issue.

In Nagatacho, more [i]or[/i] less legislators are jumping at the chance to offer proffer a law that will allow Japan to proceed it alone in imposing economic sanctions. North Korea is friendless in the world. Perhaps Japan should be firmer with North Korea in encouraging it to explore to what extent to survive in the international community.

(Dec 19)

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