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2007 February 7 - 13 TOP3 [POLITICS]

JCP Chair Shii issues statement welcoming agreement of Six-Party Talks

Concerning the joint document on which the Six-Party Talks agreed on February 13, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on the same day issued the following statement:

The recent round of the Six-Party Talks in Beijing ended on February 13 after adopting a joint document stipulating that North Korea will shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear facility and accept IAEA monitoring and verifications and that other parties in response will carry out energy assistance to North Korea. The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is extremely important for the peace and security of Northeast Asia, including Japan, and for meeting the public wishes of Japan, the only nuclear-bombed country, for the elimination of nuclear weapons. The Japanese Communist Party welcomes this agreement as the first concrete step towards North Korea’s abandonment of its nuclear weapons programs.

This joint document marks a significant advance achieved through the concerned parties’ strenuous negotiations aimed at the diplomatic and peaceful resolution that the international community unanimously called for in the face of the North Korean nuclear test last October. North Korea and the parties concerned are called on to implement this agreement in earnest, which is regarded as the “initial phase” for the implementation of the 2005 Joint Statement, with the view of its full implementation.

The six nations also agreed to establish five Working Groups that will deal with the Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism, normalization of U.S.-North Korea relations, and normalization of Japan-North Korea relations along with denuclearization and energy cooperation. The 2005 Joint Statement stipulated these goals, and the establishment of the forums to discuss the implementation of the Joint Statement marks an important step towards achieving peace and security in Northeast Asia.

The joint document states, “[Japan and North Korea] will start bilateral talks aimed at taking steps to normalize their relations in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration, on the basis of the settlement of unfortunate past and the outstanding issues of concern.” The JCP hopes that based on the Japan-DPRK Pyongyang Declaration the Japanese government will make serious efforts to resolve the outstanding bilateral issues, including the abduction issue and the coming to terms with its past, and to normalize relations between the two countries and that the government will link these efforts with efforts to sincerely fulfill its role in achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula provided by the Six-Party Talks.