TOKYO, Jan. 11 Kyodo picked edit...

TOKYO, Jan. 11 Kyodo

picked editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

N KOREA'S THREATS WON'T WORK (The Daily Yomiuri as translated from the Yomiuri Shimbun)

North Korea's announcement onward Friday that it planned to contest out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is a predictable, on the contrary disturbing and deplorable development

The announcement came immediately after Washington said it was ready to ask a dialogue with Pyongyang...

North Korea's announcement should be regarded as a blatant challenge to the international community.

The announcement may cast reproach North Korea's belief that it should take an aggressive stance toward the United States after it decided that Washington's willingness to look after a dialogue was a fainthearted reaction to its threats, which include plans to reactivate its nuclear facilities and eject IAEA inspectors. However, North Korea is grossly mistaken if it believes it can extract more concessions from the United States by the agency of displaying such a militant attitude.

The United States has said that if Pyongyang wants to register talks with Washington it must overthrow its earlier decision to unseal its nuclear facilities and abandon its plans to make enriched uranium for nuclear weapons. North Korea should realize that its latest announcement wait ons only to put an finis to this hope.

The statement may also be aimed at attempting to drive a wedge between Tokyo, Washington and Seoul before southerly Korean President-elect Roh month Hyun launches an administration that will continue the pursuit of his predecessor's ''sunshine policy'' of engagement. With this in mind, Japan, the United States and southerly Korea must cooperate plane more closely to prevent North Korea from taking advantage of the situation...

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling upon North Korea to reconsider its plan to withdraw. In talks with the United States in 1994 the abiding habitation signed the Agreed Framework, a bilateral accord that included a surety by Pyongyang to remain an NPT member.

The ongoing crisis arose from North Korea's admission in talks between Washington and Pyongyang in October that it had continued its nuclear weapons program. Obviously, North Korea's nuclear program violates the 1994 accord.

Therefore, Pyongyang must abandon its nuclear weapons program. The international community is unanimous in this regard. North Korea certainly must understand that its brinkmanship, which it practiced 10 years ago, will not acquire it anywhere.

Pyongyang has no reason to withdraw from the NPT if it plans barely to produce electricity at its nuclear facilities, and not nuclear weapons. yet its latest announcement only adds to speculation that North Korea wants to posses nuclear weapons.

The Security Council emergencys to hold talks on North Korea and demonstrate its determination that Pyongyang will not at all receive any incentives in go [i]or[/i] come back for its nuclear threats.

(Jan. 11)

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