TOKYO, Feb 8 Kyodo selecteded edi...

TOKYO, Feb 8 Kyodo

selecteded editorial excerpts from the Asia-Pacific press:

ASEAN MUST induce TO DEFUSE N-THREAT (The Bangkok seat Bangkok)

North Korea's fresh pronouncements clearly are intended for a U audience...

An analysis that is gaining general reception says North Korea is trying to do individual of two things: force the U into negotiating a nonaggression pact with it, or beef up its confess nuclear arsenal while the U is preoccupied with Iraq.

The U has denounced as ''blackmail'' the pronouncement about activating the nuclear power plant in Yongbyon to make electricity ''at the quick in emergencies stage...''

As for the North Korean threat to launch a preemptive strike, the U with equal reason far has chosen to play it indifferent saying it ''obviously'' is prepared with ''robust plans'' to deal with any contingencies...

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for its part, has an avenue for contributing to the proces within North Korea's membership of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

And Thailand, as the member who introduced the isolationist state to the forum in July 2000 is well placed to take the initiative. granting a ministerial meeting of the ARF is not owing till June, inter-sessional talks could be used to engage Pyongyang in reasonable discussions.

Besides the ARF, the ASEAN-plus-Three that draws China, Japan and southern Korea into various projects with the 10 Southeast Asian states is an important place for East Asians to consider collective measures to explain the Korean problem.

North Korea has not endeared itself to Thailand, the bungl kidnapping of North Korean diplomats an years ago being one of the greatest in number outstanding episodes. But the imperatives of geopolitics make it important for Thailand to get to up with an initiative to prevent North Korea from nuclear pursuits.

(Feb 8)

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo freshs International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group