PHNOM PENH June 18 Kyodo (EDS: AD...

PHNOM PENH June 18 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO AT 4TH PARA)

Japan won the support of its Asian partners Wednesday for its efforts to liquefy the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals, as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) adopted a statement indirectly calling for a pacification of the issue through dialogue.

The ARF ministers ''were of the view that outstanding security and humanitarian issues should be addressed from one side dialogue,'' says an ARF chairman's statement, which was adopted at its two-day meeting.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who chaired the ARF talks, told reporters the humanitarian issue appertains to the abductions.

It was the first time that an ARF chairman's statement has touched upon the abduction issue, albeit implicitly.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said she believes participating countries at the forum now have a better understanding of the abduction issue.

''I explained clearly about the abduction issue,'' Kawaguchi separately told reporters after the meeting in Phnom Penh ''I believe that the participating countries' understanding has deepened''

Japan insisted that the word ''abduction'' should be included in the statement, which was oppos by way of North Korea, conference sources said.

At the meeting, Kawaguchi asked her Asian partners to support Japan's efforts to disentangle the abductions, while a North Korean representative rebutt Japan's claims in succession the issue, Japanese officials said.

During a morning session forward the second day of the two-day ARF meeting, Kawaguchi said North Korea should deal with the abduction issue ''sincerely'' and that the international community be in want ofs to urge Pyongyang to rejoin to the issue positively, the Japanese officials said.

''I waiting under the possibility of fulfilment for each country's cooperation and understanding forward the issue,'' Kawaguchi was quot as telling the meeting.

Japan has already obtained support onward the abduction issue from the cluster of Eight countries and expectancys additional support from Asia-Pacific nations will lead to an early resolution of a stalemate from one side of to the other the abduction issue.

No progres has been made forward the issue since five abductees go [i]or[/i] come backed to Japan last October, a month after North Korea admitted having abducted or lur a number of Japanese to the country

During a landmark summit between Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in September, the North admitted it had abducted 13 Japanese and said eight of them are dead.

Kawaguchi told the meeting that the families of the five abductees should take rise to Japan as soon as possible and that the North should disclose information in succession other abductees whose whereabouts are unknown, the officials said.

North Korean Ambassador at large Ho Jong told the same ARF session that North Korea tried to deal with the abduction issue based in succession a principle of the Pyongyang Declaration signed by the agency of Koizumi and Kim, which calls for a comprehensive solution to a wide range of issues between the pair countries, the Japanese officials said.

Ho said North Korea suffer the five return home temporarily forward the condition that they would arise back to Pyongyang, which has not happened, the officials said.

Ho is in the Cambodian capital to attend the ARF meeting in place of North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun

Kawaguchi called for a solution to the abduction issue while talking with Ho during an unofficial ARF dinner Tuesday.

The ARF comprises the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- as well as Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, North and southern Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua recent Guinea, Russia and the United States.

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