Unprecedented meeting seen as a path to world peace
NORTH KOREA’S SECURITY CONCERNS CRUCIAL TO DENUCLEARISATION, SAYS CHINA
THE INTERNATIONAL community has welcomed the historic US-North Korea meeting as a milestone to “full denuclearisation” that will resolve tensions over the Korean Peninsula and open a path to global peace.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said that the meeting between the US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is “a good sign to the world, if they can practice what they agreed”.
In China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters that the fact that the two leaders “can sit together and have equal talks has important and positive meaning, and is creating a new history”.
“The crux of the peninsula nuclear issue is a security issue. The most important, difficult part of this security issue is for the US and North Korea to sit down to find a way to resolution via equal talks,” Wang said.
“Resolving the nuclear issue, on the one hand of course, is denuclearisation, full denuclearisation. At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea’s reasonable security concerns.”
China also wants Trump and Kim to “establish mutual trust” and “overcome difficulties” to establish a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said.
China will continue to play a “constructive role” in creating peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, he added. “I think nobody can doubt the extremely unique and important role China has played. And this role will continue,” he said.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday welcomed the document signed by both leaders as a “first step” towards denuclearisation.
Speaking briefly, hours after the historic talks in Singapore, Abe also said he was pleased that the US leader had raised the emotive issue of Japanese abducted by Pyongyang.
“Through this US-North Korea summit, Chairman Kim Jong-un’s intent for complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was confirmed in writing,” Abe told reporters. “I support this as a first step to the comprehensive resolution of issues concerning North Korea.”
While Japan is concerned about their citizens who were abducted decades ago by Pyongyang, the signed paper makes no specific reference to abductees in North Korea when referring to the repatriation of the remains of prisoners of war and people killed during fighting.
Japan has repeatedly called for the issue to be raised in discussions with Pyongyang, and Trump said at a press conference yesterday afternoon that he had discussed the issue with Kim.
“I highly appreciate the fact that President Trump firmly touched upon what I told him recently about the abduction issue, which is very important to us, to Japan,” Abe said. “I want to hear the details by phone [from Trump]. I will continue aiming to resolve concerns such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues,” he said.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in meanwhile hailed the outcome of the Singapore Summit, saying the “historic event” had ended the last Cold War conflict.
“The June 12 Sentosa Agreement will be recorded as a historic event that has helped break down the last remaining Cold War legacy on Earth,” he said.
Moon has made great efforts playing the role of mediator to bring the Cold War foes back to dialogue.
Moon spent “a sleepless night” ahead of the meeting, his office |said.
Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong said that the joint statement “is a crucial first move in the long journey towards lasting peace and stability on a denuclearised Korean Peninsula, which would benefit our region and the rest of the world”.
In his Facebook post, Lee said: “Singapore is honoured to have played host. We join the international community in celebrating this outcome, and wishing both the US and DPRK success in implementing this agreement.”
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong posts copies of his congratulatory letters to the US President Donald Trump and North Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un on his Facebook post on June 12, 2018 (courtesy of Lee Hsien Loong's Facebook page)