U.S. ambassador urges N. Korea not to launch missile

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, March 5 (Yonhap) -- The top U.S. envoy here called Thursday for North
Korea not to fire a ballistic missile, saying the "avenue of negotiation is still
open."

"Our hope and our continued urging from the United States and also from other
members of the international community to the leadership of Pyongyang is to avoid
that kind of provocative act and return to the process of negotiation in the
six-way talks," Ambassador Kathleen Stephens said in an evening meeting with
South Korean citizens organized by the Seoul-based Hope Institute, a private
think tank.
"The avenue of negotiation is still open," she said.
The six-way talks aimed at ridding North Korea of its nuclear program also
involve South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan. The denuclearization process has
been stalled for months amid disputes over how to inspect the North's nuclear
facilities. Pyongyang stoked further tension by announcing last month it is
gearing up to launch a rocket for a communications satellite, while neighboring
nations believe the launch is for a long-range missile.
Based on satellite photo analysis, South Korean officials say the secretive
communist nation is going ahead with preparations, but a launch seems not to be
imminent. Experts say a rocket has yet to be mounted on the launch pad located on
the east coast, and it would also require a few days for the North to inject
fuel.
Amb. Stephens reiterated Washington's position that even if the North fires a
rocket for a satellite, the launch would constitute a breach of U.N. Security
Council Resolution 1718 that was adopted in 2006 after Pyongyang's missile and
nuclear tests.
"It is something that is clearly prohibited by the U.S. Security Council
Resolution 1718," she said. "In the event of a ballistic missile launch, the U.N.
Security Council will have to look at that."
lcd@yna.co.kr
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