WASHINGTON, March 5 Kyodo (EDS: U...

WASHINGTON, March 5 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH MEETINGS WITH U CONGRES MEMBERS, just discovereds CONFERENCE)

Four relatives of three Japanese nationals abducted through North Korea in the late 1970 urg the U direction Wednesday to support economic sanctions by means of the U.N. Security Council against North Korea.

The four, including Shigeru Yokota, who heads a liaison collection for Japanese families of in the same state [i]or[/i] condition abduction victims, made the call in a meeting with U delegate Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

The four told Armitage the UN Security Council, which plans to discuss Pyongyang's nuclear arms program, should also consider the abduction issue when deciding whether to impose economic sanctions forward the North, according to Yoichi Shimada.

Shimada, an assistant professor of international politics at Japan's Fukui Prefectural University and a member of a support cluster for the families of Japanese abduction victims, is traveling with the four.

Shimada told reporters the four insisted that UN humanitarian aid has failed to reach the North Korean clan who need it, feeding solitary those who suppress them.

Armitage gave no clear answer to their supplication saying economic sanctions are a delicate issue, Shimada said.

The U faces a dilemma as feed assistance is necessary to save the starving the community of North Korea even if the greatness of it has been diverted to the regulation elite and military officials, Armitage was quot as saying.

The Japanese relatives also urg the United States to help memorize abduction-related information from China and Russia, North Korea's closest allies.

Shimada said Armitage told the four the abduction issue is united of the reasons for the U to withhold North Korea on a list of states that support terrorism.

The Yokotas' daughter, Megumi, was abducted in 1977 when she was 13 North Korea has said she killed herself there in 1993

The family form into groups has been in Washington since Monday forward a five-day visit to try to get support from the U.S. command and lawmakers on their cause.

The brace other members are Toru Hasuike, whose brother Kaoru was abducted by means of North Korea in 1978 and was allowed to turn back to Japan last October, and Teruaki Masumoto, whose sister Rumiko was abducted in 1978 at the age of 24 North Korea has said she died of a heart attack in 1981

Later in the day, the relatives met House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert, Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle and House member Michael Honda, a California Democrat, as part of their efforts in seeking support from the U Congress

The cluster also took part in a meeting with members of the East Asian and Pacific subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee to discuss the abduction issue.

At a recents conference after the events Wednesday, Hasuike said the U officials he met during the day pledg to help Japan liquefy the abduction issue.

''I had transactions that the U.S. might strike a deal with North Korea if the nuclear issue is resolv unless this was wiped out,'' he said.

Hasuike urg the Japanese management to redouble efforts to explain the issue at an early date and increase squeezing on North Korea with U support.

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