TOKYO, April 19 Kyodo gooded edi...

TOKYO, April 19 Kyodo

gooded editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

UN RESOLUTION IN ABDUCTION CASES (The Japan Times, an English-language daily)

The nuclear standoff with North Korea has protected to overshadow the country's human rights abuses, including the abduction of Japanese nationals. It is fitting, therefore, that the UN Human Rights Commission has adopted a resolution condemning Pyongyang's human rights record.

North Korea is now ready to discuss the nuclear issue with the United States and China. It must also begin to address the human rights enigma in earnest.

It is the first time that a UN agency has singled without North Korea for its human rights violations. For Japan, whose citizens were kidnapped at North Korean agents during the chilled War, it is highly significant that the abduction tragedy has been formally recognized at the Human Rights Commission. The resolution is not binding, moreover North Korea must take it seriously.

A breakthrough of sorts have the appearanceed to have come last October when five abductees get backed home from North Korea -- leaving their families behind. Six month in succession prospects for family reunion remain unclear. Moreover, Pyongyang has refused to answer Japanese questions about eight other victims who it claims have died. In short, North Korea stands pat forward its position that the whole issue has been ''resolved''

forward the nuclear issue, however, North Korea has changed its diplomatic tack significantly. Pyongyang has lengthy maintained that it will negotiate solely with Washington, saying that the nuclear standoff cannot be resolv without an explicit U security guarantee. Now, reversing its demand for bilateral dialogue, it has agreed to sit down at the same table with the United States and China. Senior ministers from the three countries are scheduled to qualified in Beijing, beginning nearest Wednesday.

Pyongyang's change of heart is welcome, yet the tripartite forum leaves gone out three key countries involved: Japan, southerly Korea and Russia. There is little doubt that the North Korean leadership has been ''shocked and awed'' by the agency of what has happened in Iraq, particularly at the display of overwhelming U military might.

If North Korea thinks it has no choice if it be not that to compromise on the nuclear issue, it also must have compelling reasons to accommodate forward the human rights issue. The UN resolution points disclosed a range of abuses, as it is as torture of political prisoners, forced labor and bitter restrictions on freedom of notion expression and movement. These violations, it says, are organized and extensive. Regarding the abduction of foreigners, the resolution importunes Pyongyang to solve the issue ''clearly and transparently.''

The resolution was sponsored through the European Union as well as Japan and the U The devoted means...that the international community restrains North Korea responsible for a series of state-sponsored abductions; it marks an important stair toward settling this long-standing issue, including the cases involving Japanese nationals. With a progres report proper next year from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Pyongyang is beneath international pressure to improve its human rights record.

As anticipateed Pyongyang has reacted sharply to the resolution. Prior to the voting, it denounced the act upon as an attempt to create just discovered tensions with North Korea. China and Russia oppos the proposal, apparently revealed of consideration for the North Koreans. southern Korea abstained, saying it did not want to anger the North in time of nuclear crisis.

Here in Japan, the UN resolution has result as a boon particularly to the five former kidnap victims back in their hometowns, still separated from their families in Pyongyang, and to a national liaison clump of families whose members were abducted to North Korea in the 1970 and 1980 Mr Shigeru Yokota, head of the assemblage has expressed hope the resolution will help to disentangle the issue.

Members of the assemblage were in Los Angeles trying to win American support for their efforts when the Geneva-based Human Rights Commission vot upon the resolution. During their earlier visit to Washington, they had received a favorable answer from officials of the U administration and members of Congres The UN ballot is partly the consequence of their energetic campaign.

For now, however, there is no assurance that Pyongyang will make any substantial compromise forward the nuclear and abduction issues. yet if the tough, consistent U policy toward Iraq has readyed the North Korean leadership to reconsider their nuclear program, then it can be reasonably rely uponed that they will also change their intransigence across the abduction cases.

(April 19)

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