ASEAN leaders urge North Korea to complete denuclearization
By AJ Siytangco
Published Nov 5, 2019 12:22 pm
By Genalyn Kabiling
NONTHABURI, Thailand — To promote peace and stability in the region, Southeast Asian leaders have called on North Korea to complete denuclearization and avoid undertaking further nuclear and missile tests.
US National Security advisor Robert O'Brien (5th L) poses with leaders and ministers during the 7th ASEAN-US Summit in Bangkok on November 4, 2019, on the sidelines of the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made the urgent appeal on the “complete, verifiable, and irreversible” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula following a dialogue with the United States last Monday.
“We urged the DPRK to fulfill its stated commitment to complete denuclearization and to honor its pledge to refrain from further nuclear and missile tests,” ASEAN chairman, Thailand, said in a statement on the ASEAN-US summit.
The leaders also urged North Korea to return to peaceful dialogue towards attaining a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
“We welcomed the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un on 30 June 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Korean Peninsula and urged the DPRK to return to sustained and substantive negotiations on denuclearization,” the ASEAN chairman said.
“We stressed the importance of continued peaceful dialogue amongst all concerned parties in order to realize lasting peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” he added.
The group likewise backed the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, the Singapore Joint Statement by the U.S. and DPRK Leaders, and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration.
They also remained committed to the full implementation of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) while citing “international efforts to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”
“We recognized the important role that the implementation of the UNSCRs has played in fostering dialogue with the DPRK on the denuclearization,” the chairman said.
The appeal was made days after North Korea reportedly launched two suspected missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
The projectile launch, recently deplored by Japan, came amid the stalled denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier set an end-of-the-year deadline for denuclearization talks with Washington.
Nuclear negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader collapsed in Vietnam last February over differences in their demands. Washington wants Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapon program before the lifting of international sanctions. North Korean, however, asked Washington to relax sanctions amid its offer for a step-by-step approach towards denuclearization.
US National Security advisor Robert O'Brien (5th L) poses with leaders and ministers during the 7th ASEAN-US Summit in Bangkok on November 4, 2019, on the sidelines of the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) made the urgent appeal on the “complete, verifiable, and irreversible” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula following a dialogue with the United States last Monday.
“We urged the DPRK to fulfill its stated commitment to complete denuclearization and to honor its pledge to refrain from further nuclear and missile tests,” ASEAN chairman, Thailand, said in a statement on the ASEAN-US summit.
The leaders also urged North Korea to return to peaceful dialogue towards attaining a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
“We welcomed the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un on 30 June 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Korean Peninsula and urged the DPRK to return to sustained and substantive negotiations on denuclearization,” the ASEAN chairman said.
“We stressed the importance of continued peaceful dialogue amongst all concerned parties in order to realize lasting peace and stability in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula,” he added.
The group likewise backed the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration, the Singapore Joint Statement by the U.S. and DPRK Leaders, and the Pyongyang Joint Declaration.
They also remained committed to the full implementation of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) while citing “international efforts to bring about the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.”
“We recognized the important role that the implementation of the UNSCRs has played in fostering dialogue with the DPRK on the denuclearization,” the chairman said.
The appeal was made days after North Korea reportedly launched two suspected missiles into the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.
The projectile launch, recently deplored by Japan, came amid the stalled denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier set an end-of-the-year deadline for denuclearization talks with Washington.
Nuclear negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader collapsed in Vietnam last February over differences in their demands. Washington wants Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapon program before the lifting of international sanctions. North Korean, however, asked Washington to relax sanctions amid its offer for a step-by-step approach towards denuclearization.