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Foreign Minister Taro Aso and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice agreed Wednesday to work together to swiftly implement sanctions against North Korea under a United Nations Security Council resolution.
The two also agreed to start working-level discussions on how to effectively conduct inspections of vessels to and from North Korean ports, one of the actions called for in the resolution.
"The foreign minister and I pledged that we will work together and with other states for the swift implementation and the effective implementation of all of the measures that are contemplated under Resolution 1718," Rice said at a joint news conference after the one-hour meeting.
The unanimously adopted resolution calls on U.N. member nations to impose both economic and diplomatic sanctions on the North, under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.
"This is an especially important time for allies to work together," Rice said. "Our alliance is one of the most important pillars of peace and stability in this region."
Rice also said she affirmed to Aso "the firm commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan in accordance with all of our security arrangements and commitments, including the mutual defense treaty of 1960," and that she will tell Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the same.
She said the United States has the "will and capability to meet the full range, and I underscore, the full range, of deterrence and security commitments to Japan."
The two also agreed to continue to urge North Korea to return to the stalled six-party talks over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Aso told the news conference he and Rice agreed to keep open the window for dialogue with Pyongyang in addition to implementing sanctions.
"We made sure that the U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty will be firmly maintained," Aso said.
Foreign Ministry officials said Aso emphasized in the meeting that the two countries need to promote dialogue with Beijing, because China plays an important role in cargo inspection.
Tokyo is expected to use the Maritime Self-Defense Force to provide logistic support for U.S. ships inspecting vessels. To do so, the Japanese government must first affirm that the North's nuclear test qualifies as an "emergency situation in areas around Japan" so that a law covering such situations can be applied.
"We want very much for this to be done in a way that is steady, effective and brings close scrutiny to North Korean transfers," Rice said of the inspections.
On Wednesday, Rice met with Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, and is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to Abe today.
She then leaves for Seoul for trilateral talks with Aso and South Korea's foreign minister, Ban Ki Moon.
Following that meeting, Rice is scheduled to visit Beijing and Moscow in a bid to send a clear signal to North Korea that the five nations are united in opposing its nuclear test.
Asahi 2006.10.19
The two also agreed to start working-level discussions on how to effectively conduct inspections of vessels to and from North Korean ports, one of the actions called for in the resolution.
"The foreign minister and I pledged that we will work together and with other states for the swift implementation and the effective implementation of all of the measures that are contemplated under Resolution 1718," Rice said at a joint news conference after the one-hour meeting.
The unanimously adopted resolution calls on U.N. member nations to impose both economic and diplomatic sanctions on the North, under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.
"This is an especially important time for allies to work together," Rice said. "Our alliance is one of the most important pillars of peace and stability in this region."
Rice also said she affirmed to Aso "the firm commitment of the United States to the defense of Japan in accordance with all of our security arrangements and commitments, including the mutual defense treaty of 1960," and that she will tell Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the same.
She said the United States has the "will and capability to meet the full range, and I underscore, the full range, of deterrence and security commitments to Japan."
The two also agreed to continue to urge North Korea to return to the stalled six-party talks over Pyongyang's nuclear program.
Aso told the news conference he and Rice agreed to keep open the window for dialogue with Pyongyang in addition to implementing sanctions.
"We made sure that the U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan under the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty will be firmly maintained," Aso said.
Foreign Ministry officials said Aso emphasized in the meeting that the two countries need to promote dialogue with Beijing, because China plays an important role in cargo inspection.
Tokyo is expected to use the Maritime Self-Defense Force to provide logistic support for U.S. ships inspecting vessels. To do so, the Japanese government must first affirm that the North's nuclear test qualifies as an "emergency situation in areas around Japan" so that a law covering such situations can be applied.
"We want very much for this to be done in a way that is steady, effective and brings close scrutiny to North Korean transfers," Rice said of the inspections.
On Wednesday, Rice met with Defense Agency chief Fumio Kyuma and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, and is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to Abe today.
She then leaves for Seoul for trilateral talks with Aso and South Korea's foreign minister, Ban Ki Moon.
Following that meeting, Rice is scheduled to visit Beijing and Moscow in a bid to send a clear signal to North Korea that the five nations are united in opposing its nuclear test.
Asahi 2006.10.19
