The United States and Japan on Sunday offered new talks with North Korea to resolve the increasingly dangerous standoff over its nuclear and missile programs, but said the reclusive communist Government first must lower tensions and honor previous agreements.
North Korea has a clear course of action available to it, and will find “ready partners” in the United States if it follows through, US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters.
Japan’s Foreign Minister, Fumio Kishida, who appeared with Kerry at a news conference, was more explicit, saying that North Korea must honour its commitment to earlier deals regarding its nuclear and missile programmes and on returning kidnapped foreigners.
The officials agreed on the need to work toward a nuclear-free North Korea and opened the door to direct talks if certain conditions are met. Their comments highlight the difficulty in resolving the North Korean nuclear situation in a peaceful manner, as pledged by Kerry and Chinese leaders in Beijing yesterday. Gaining China’s commitment, Kerry insisted, was no small matter given Beijing’s historically strong military and economic ties to North Korea.