Japan, S. Korea agree N. Korea`s denuclearization steps is priority

TOKYO, Jan. 16 Kyodo -
Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada agreed with his South Korean
counterpart Yu Myung Hwan on Saturday that denuclearization steps by North
Korea should come before talks on a peace treaty with the United States or the
lifting of sanctions as proposed by Pyongyang, a Japanese Foreign Ministry
official said.
Yu, meanwhile, expressed his ''expectations'' with regard to Japan's move
toward granting local suffrage to permanent foreign residents in Japan, most of
whom are of Korean descent, according to the official.
The Japanese government is currently eyeing submitting a bill to grant such
local suffrage during the upcoming ordinary Diet session.
On the stalled negotiations on an economic partnership agreement, Okada said he
would like to seek an early resumption of the negotiations and Yu promised to
make efforts to ''create an atmosphere'' toward that end.
The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of a two-day meeting that began
the same day in Tokyo bringing together foreign ministers and senior officials
from East Asian and Latin American countries.
The two ministers spent a ''considerable time'' discussing North Korean issues
in the one-hour meeting, during which they also affirmed they would cooperate
bilaterally as well as with the United States to resume the stalled six-party
talks aimed at denuclearizing Pyongyang, the ministry official said.
Referring to North Korea's recent call for talks for a peace treaty to replace
the armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War and the lifting of sanctions
imposed on Pyongyang, the official said the two ministers ''agreed that it is
important to first resume the six-party talks and that (North Korea) take
denuclearization steps.''
''Also on the talks for a peace treaty, they agreed that there is a need to
place priority on the denuclearization steps,'' he added.
Officially stating the possibility of returning to the six-way talks for the
first time, North Korea said Monday that the proposed peace talks with parties
to the Korean War could be held within the six-party framework if sanctions on
Pyongyang were lifted.
In April last year, North Korea declared its withdrawal from the multilateral
talks, which also involve South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and
Russia, to protest a U.N. Security Council condemnation of what it says was a
rocket launch but was widely seen as a long-range missile test conducted that
month.
North Korea added to the tension by conducting a second nuclear test in May,
leading to increased U.N. sanctions on the country.
Tokyo and Seoul believe that confirming their close ties on global issues is
especially important as this year's summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum will be hosted by Japan, while this year's Group of 20 summit
will be hosted by South Korea.
With the year 2010 marking a century since Japan's annexation of the Korean
Peninsula, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has recently said he can gain
support from within the government for the local suffrage issue.
South Korea has had high expectations that the new Democratic Party of
Japan-led government will respond to Seoul's calls to allow permanent residents
of Korean descent living in Japan to vote in local elections as the DPJ has
shown a positive stand on the issue. But strong reservations remain within the
party.
==Kyodo