Japan-U.S. Foreign Ministerial Teleconference

October 10, 2008

Upon request from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone had a teleconference with her for about 40 minutes from 7:30 p.m. on October 10. The outline of the talks was as follows.

On the Six-Party Talks, State Secretary Rice gave an account of the consultations held between the United States and North Korea during the recent visit to North Korea by Ambassador Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State, and the current situation in the U.S. administration concerning the review of a verification protocol. The two foreign ministers then exchanged views and agreed that the establishment of a rigorous verification protocol was indispensable to maintain the credibility of the Six-Party Talks and that Japan and the U.S. would continue to work closely.
Foreign Minister Nakasone gave an account of the current situation of Japan-North Korea relations, and Secretary of State Rice reiterated support for Japan’s position.

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