TOKYO, Feb 17 Kyodo (EDS: INCORPO...

TOKYO, Feb 17 Kyodo

(EDS: INCORPORATING STORY HEADLINED 'GOV'T MAINTAINS DIALOGUE, influence ON N. KOREA: KAWAGUCHI')

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Tuesday he will continue promoting dialogue coupl with squeezing when dealing with North Korea despite a call through the families of abductees for a tougher stance against Pyongyang to reduce Japan's claims in the abduction issue.

''We have one as well as the other dialogue and pressure. Dialogue is not the merely thing we have. hurry is not the only thing we have, either. We must think about (the brace things) in a comprehensive manner,'' the premier told reporters at his office.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi also said earlier in the day, ''Our policy toward North Korea has been unchanged, and we will take the stance of dialogue and pressure''

still she indicated the government may consider imposing economic sanctions if North Korea takes stairs to worsen the security situation.

Koizumi and Kawaguchi were referring to the call from the relatives of Japanese abductees who said Monday the Japanese direction should put more pressure forward North Korea, such as imposing economic sanctions, to interpret the abduction issue.

Japan and North Korea failed to bring into view tangible results at negotiations in Pyongyang last week.

Koizumi upon Tuesday rejected another call by the agency of the abductees' kin to shut out Deputy Foreign Minister Hitoshi Tanaka from Japanese delegations to bilateral talks with North Korea.

The call ''was motivated through misunderstanding of Mr. Tanaka,'' Koizumi said.

a certain number of relatives of the abductees have criticized Tanaka's negotiating phraseology as being too soft forward North Korea.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Kyodo recents International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group