12th Round of the Japan-North Korea Normalization Talks
(Evaluation and Outline)
The 12th Round of the Japan-North Korea Normalization Talks took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 29 and 30 October. The following is an outline of the meeting. (Attendees: Japan: Representative of Japan for Japan-North Korea Normalization Talks Katsunari Suzuki and others; North Korea: Ambassador Jong Thae Hwa and others)
1. Evaluation
(1) At the meeting, the Japanese side placed the highest priority on the abduction issues and security issues, including the nuclear problem, and most of the time in the meeting was spent discussing these issues. For the North Korean side, the core issues were normalization of relations itself and economic cooperation. At the same time, they expressed understanding for the necessity to resolve the issues of concern in accordance with the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration. Both sides shared the view that it was necessary to make efforts to resolve the various issues in accordance with the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration, and the Japan will continue to strenuously make efforts towards normalization talks and aim at the resolution of these various concerns.
(2) Concerning the families of the five abductees, it was regrettable that the stance of the North Korean side remained unchanged and the specific return date for them was not decided, though the Japanese side repeated its strong request for a positive response from the North Korean side. However, the North Korean side stated that it would like to resolve the abduction issues and that there was no need to worry about the safety of the families of the abductees. The Japanese side intends to continue to pursue negotiations on this issue with a firm stance, through various channels.
(3) Concerning security issues including nuclear problem, the Japanese side conveyed its concerns to the North Korean side in detail. In response, the North Korean side repeatedly explained that they observed the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration. Japan will bring up these issues in future normalization talks and in the Japan-North Korea security consultations that will be held within November, based on Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration, closely cooperating with the United States and the ROK.
2. Outline
(1) Abduction Issues
(a) Concerning the five abductees, Japanese side emphasized that it was important that the five abductees and their family members should be provided with an environment in which they could make free decisions, and requested the securing of their safety, their prompt return, and the settlement of the specific return date to Japan. The North Korean side responded that Chairman of the National Defense Committee Kim Jong Il acknowledged the abduction cases, apologized for them and promised to prevent a reoccurrence and North Korea had been acting appropriately in good faith. The North Korean side also stated that it intended resolve the issues and they would be smoothly resolved if the five abductees, as promised, once return to North Korea and speak with their children who know nothing of the situation, and that the return to Japan of the abductees and their family members should be done by their own will. The North Korean side added that they have no intention to use these issues politically and that there was no need to worry about the safety of the family members of the abductees.
(b) The Japanese side continued to strongly demand the fact regarding the other abductees who are still missing, and handed the questions over to the North Korean side for investigation, based on the doubts suggested by the family members of the abductees, requesting swift and sincere response. The North Korean side stated that they would make efforts to provide answers as soon as possible through the consultation with relevant authorities.
(2)Security Issues (nuclear and missile issues, Japan-North Korea security consultations)
(a) The Japanese side, referring to the Joint US-Japan-ROK Trilateral Statement, stated that the program to enrich uranium gave grave concerns on the security of Japan. The Japanese side strongly demanded that North Korea observe the statement in the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration: "for an overall resolution of the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula, they would comply with all related international agreements," and strongly requested North Korea:
(i) To clarify the content of the program to enrich uranium,
(ii) Specific measures for the resolution of the issues, in other words, dismantling this program in a prompt and verifiable manner,
(iii) To maintain the freezing of the facilities, based on the Agreed Framework, and the swift acceptance of inspections towards the full compliance of the IAEA Safeguards Agreement (and immediate start to cooperate with the IAEA for this purpose). In addition, concerning missile problem, the Japanese side stated that North Korean missiles were a grave problem directly affecting the security of Japan and that they were also of international concerns for their influence on the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding region and the international community as a whole. The Japanese side requested concrete and positive measures of North Korea about disposal of the Nodong missiles, putting Japan within their ranges, that had already been deployed, and other things.
(b) In response, the North Korean side stated that concerning nuclear and missile problems, the hostile policy of the United States was the essence of the problems, and that though they recognize the concerns of Japan and were able to discuss with Japan, but the ultimate resolution would only be possible through consultations with the United States. North Korean side also stated that with regard to security issues, as stated in the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration, North Korea also wished to resolve the issues through dialogues with countries concerned and, in particular, they had intention to seek resolutions through dialogue with the United States. The North Korean side emphasized that there was no change in their policy to comply with the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration.
(c) Concerning the problem of operation ships, the Japanese side stated that they had concluded that the unidentified ship that sank in waters of the southwest sea off the coast of Kyushu in December 2001 was a North Korean operation ship and that they would like to carefully observe the implementation of the survey and prevention of reoccurrence, which had been mentioned by Chairman Kim Jong Il at the Japan-North Korea Summit Meeting.
(d) In order to discuss security issues based on the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration, both sides agreed that they would launch the Japan-North Korea security consultations within November. Regarding the level of the representatives, they decided to examine to raise the level in accordance with the progress of the consultations, with the Director-General level in mind for the time being, and they would coordinate the specific date for discussions hereafter. The consultations would be in accordance with the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration, and under a common recognition that issues mentioned in the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration such as nuclear and missile issues would be included in the agenda, both sides decided to set the agenda concretely between Japan and North Korea.
(3) Japan stated its stance regarding other concerns between Japan and North Korea such as the problem of North Korea's non-performing debt and the issue of survivors of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki living in North Korea.
(4) The North Korean side proposed that the next round of talks should be convened at the end of November, and the Japanese side decided to bring it back to Japan and examine it.
(END)
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