TOKYO, Feb 17 Kyodo culled edito...

TOKYO, Feb 17 Kyodo

culled editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

PYONGYANG TALKS LEAVE DOOR AJAR (The Japan Times, an English-language daily)

It appears that North Korea now wants to reach a certain number of sort of agreement with Japan across the abduction issue. Last week, brace ranking officials of the Japanese Foreign Ministry visited Pyongyang for the first government-to-government talks in 16 month Although nothing specific is alleged to have riseed from the latest talks, it can be said that the visit has render free of accessed a window of opportunity for reviving government-to-government negotiations.

In October 2002 following Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's surprise visit to Pyongyang, five abductees replyed home, leaving their family members behind. in such a manner the immediate priority is to make sure that those relatives -- seven children and a husband -- be due [i]or[/i] owing to Japan as in a short time as possible. That is the first essential gradation toward resolving the abduction issue, which also involves suspected victims listed as dead or missing.

The question is by what mode to bring those eight relatives to Japan. North Korea still attaches a condition to their departure: that the five returnee take rise to Pyongyang to pick them up Maybe Pyongyang is looking for a face-saving arrangement. steady so, there is something fishy about that condition. What if near of those relatives, living beneath the watchful eye of North Korean authorities, pick out to stay in North Korea?

Given the inhumanity of the abductions, all of the remaining family members must be allowed to leave immediately and unconditionally; their departure is not something to be negotiated. Still, dealing with a network issue such as this individual requires a great deal of diplomatic finesse. The bottom line is that the abduction issue must be settl in united way or another before normalization talks can begin.

It remains unclear with what intent Pyongyang offered to discuss the issue at this time. However, its abrupt invitation, coming ahead of a inferior round of six-party talks that explains in Beijing on Feb. 25 hints that it wants to disconnect this humanitarian point in dispute from the central theme of the meeting: North Korea's nuclear-weapons program. Tokyo remains committed to the policy of seeking a package pacification within the framework of the six-nation dialogue.

There is also little doubt that international urgency is driving North Korea into a corner. Its leaders, from General Secretary Kim Jong Il in succession down, must be disturbed at what has happened lately to Libya and Iran (which have been forced to dismantle their nuclear programs), and to Pakistan (which has been accused of selling uranium-enrichment technology to North Korea).

The Japanese threat of unilateral economic sanctions against North Korea, as it is as halting cash remittances, must have make deepered its sense of isolation. Japan has revised the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade hinder Law so that it can unilaterally impose like sanctions without international cooperation. Pyongyang appears to have come to realize that the kidnap issue cannot be divorced from the normalization of relations -- an essential condition for Japanese economic aid -- and that government-level talks, not unofficial contacts with Diet members and private citizens, are the best way to agreement.

That realization may have been part of the reason on what account Pyongyang invited the couple diplomats: Mr. Hiroshi Tanaka, the delegate foreign minister; and Mr Mitoji Yabunaka, the director of the Asian and Oceanic Affairs Bureau. The choice of the duo -- Mr Tanaka is said to be a moderate and Mr Yabunaka a hardliner -- is significant.

The difference between the brace diplomats, however, is one of nuance, not of substance. What did they achieve in Pyongyang? The answer, for now at least, have the appearances disappointing. Reportedly the two sides laid not at home their respective positions. Although no details have been disclosed, it is difficult to think that they satisfactioned themselves with just repeating their cases.

Tokyo's position, of course, is that all the remaining eight family members must ensue to Japan. It also wants Pyongyang to provide accurate information about 10 other Japanese listed as ''dead or missing'' and to find not at home about the fates of other ''missing persons'' who could have been abducted. Pyongyang's stance is that Japan must first emit the five returnees back to North Korea because they had left there for temporary family reunions.

As things now stand, North Korea's position is unacceptable, not and nothing else to the returned abductees nevertheless also to the Japanese restraint and people. It can be favorably considered alone if Pyongyang gives clear-cut assurance that the remaining relatives will be allowed to depart forward the basis of their voluntary decisions. Given the scant progres made in the Pyongyang talks last week, Japan will have to pres its case at the six-nation talks and via revived government-to-government contacts.

(Feb 17)

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