Russia Issues Warning on Iran, N. Korea
Pastor Dale Morgan
Russia Issues Warning on Iran, N. Korea*
Sunday November 19, 2006 8:01 AM
By ALEX NICHOLSON
Associated Press Writer
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - The world must be firm but also very cautious when
dealing with the North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs, Russia's
foreign minister said Saturday during an Asian-Pacific summit in Vietnam.
It was Russia's latest warning that harsh actions against Iran or North
Korea could undermine efforts to resolve the disputes over their nuclear
programs.
``The international community is obligated to approach the resolution of
the Korean peninsula issue and the issue of the Iranian nuclear program
extremely cautiously - firmly but cautiously,'' Sergey Lavrov said on
the sidelines of the summit. ``If we force this situation into a corner
then the threats of (nuclear) proliferation will significantly increase.''
Russia has opposed a European-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution
that would impose sanctions on Iran for its refusal to rein in its
nuclear program. While China and Russia recently agreed in principle on
sanctions, both have pushed for dialogue instead of U.N. punishment.
Both countries have major commercial ties with Iran.
Lavrov also said Russia and China agreed to work together to promote a
swift resumption of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program.
The talks involve the two Koreas, Russia, China, Japan and the U.S.
``We agreed to act firmly in respect of North Korea ... and at same time
in a way that would allow the six-party talks to be continued,'' Lavrov
said.
A draft statement by the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum expresses ``strong concern'' about the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test
and its missile launches in July, saying they pose ``a clear threat'' to
the goal of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
It urges ``concrete steps'' by North Korea in living up to commitments
to end its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees.
It also calls for the quick resumption of the six-party talks, which the
North last month agreed to rejoin after a yearlong boycott.
But how the leaders would express those concerns underscored the
sensitivities of interfering in another nation's affairs. It was likely
the statement would be issued orally, and not as part of the declaration
released at the end of the summit or even as a separate written document.
Lavrov said the statement would not go beyond - and would in fact repeat
- the recent U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, condemned South Korea for backing a separate U.N.
draft resolution criticizing the communist regime's human rights abuses.
``South Korean authorities will be held accountable for all consequences
to be caused by the crime of creating another obstacle in inter-Korean
relations,'' a spokesman for the North's Committee for the Peaceful
Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement carried by the
official Korean Central News Agency.
A key U.N. committee approved the resolution Friday, criticizing North
Korea's public executions, use of torture, and other human rights
violations.
The resolution now goes to a plenary meeting of the 192-nation U.N.
General Assembly for final approval. Last year, the full assembly
approved a similar resolution.
South Korea, which previously abstained on similar votes at various U.N.
bodies, voted in favor of Friday's resolution, saying there was an even
greater need for cooperation on human rights between North Korea and the
international community following Pyongyang's nuclear test.
North Korea denies violating human rights, but it has long been accused
of imposing the death penalty for political reasons, holding thousands
in prison camps, torturing people who try to cross the border, and
severely restricting freedom of expression and religion.