Wed, May 27, 2009
HONG KONG, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers attending the ongoing 9th Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Tuesday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) not to conduct any further nuclear test and comply fully with the UN Security Councils (UNSC) resolutions and decisions.
A statement issued by the meeting on Tuesday condemned the underground nuclear test conducted by the DPRK on Monday.
The test by the DPRK "constitutes a clear violation of the Six-Party agreements and relevant UNSC resolutions and decisions", it said.
"Ministers strongly urge the DPRK not to conduct any further nuclear test and comply fully with the UNSC resolutions and decisions," said the statement.
Ministers reaffirmed their support for the Six-Party Talks to seek early and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner, thereby continuing to the peace and stability of the northeast Asia.
The ministers called on the DPRK to immediately return to the Six-Party Talks.
The meeting, running from May 25 to 26, drew foreign ministers and heads of delegations of 45 ASEM members.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Tuesday said his country has responded to North Korea's nuclear test by condemning its action as a threat to regional security.
Rudd said the Australian government has spoken to South Korea, Japan and the United States about such response.
He has spoken to his South Korean counterpart on Tuesday and will discuss the issue with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso in the afternoon. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Rudd told parliament Tuesday the government was "registering Australia's deep concern at the North Korean test and registering further ways we can work together to thwart the North Korea's future nuclear ambitions".
DPRK's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program are an increasing threat to regional security, to Australia's national security and to the wider international community, he said, adding Australia must work with other friends around the region, to ensure the threat is contained in the future.
Malaysia has also expressed concern over DPRK's latest nuclear test, with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak saying it could destabilize the Korean peninsula.
"I'm concerned that North Korea's display of nuclear capability will further heighten the tension in the Korean peninsula and affect the whole East Asian region," he said on Tuesday.
Najib hoped that the issue could be dealt with through the Six-Party talks as well as through the United Nations Security Council.
The six-party talks, chaired by China and involve DPRK and South Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan, seeks to find a peaceful solution to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The DPRK said on Monday it successfully conducted "one more underground nuclear test earlier in the day.
The UN Security Council on Monday denounced the nuclear test as a "clear violation" of UN Resolution 1718 adopted in October 2006 after DPRK's first atomic test and said it would seek a new resolution immediately.
The 1718 resolution forbids the DPRK from conducting any future nuclear tests or missile launches.
