2ND LD: Japan, U.S. warn N. Korea against launch, urge resolution of abductions+

TOKYO, March 6 Kyodo -
(EDS: UPDATING WITH DETAILS OF TALKS WITH NAKASONE, KAWAMURA)
Japan and the United States renewed their warning Friday for North Korea to
refrain from launching a rocket, with new U.S. special representative Stephen
Bosworth reiterating that whether the launch is for a satellite or a missile
''makes no difference'' and the allies will ''respond in a common fashion''
should Pyongyang go ahead with such a provocative act.

Bosworth, wrapping up his visit to Tokyo, told Japanese parliamentarians
earlier Friday of his hopes to visit North Korea at an early date. He told
reporters afterward that he has no plans to do so on his current Asia trip but
that he assumes he will ''at some time.''
The special envoy also reassured Japan of the new U.S. administration's support
for Tokyo in pressing North Korea to come clean about its abductions of
Japanese nationals, saying, ''My government continues to express strong
solidarity with Japan on this subject.''
Bosworth and Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone reaffirmed their shared
consensus in talks in the afternoon that a launch by North Korea would be a
violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, Foreign Ministry officials
said.
They also agreed to continue to urge Pyongyang to refrain from behavior that
undermines peace and stability in the region, the officials said.
''We agree very strongly that it would be best if North Korea did not fire a
missile,'' Bosworth told reporters. ''Whether it is a satellite launch or a
missile, for us it makes no difference.''
Noting that President Barack Obama's administration is in the ''final stages''
of reviewing Washington's policy on North Korea, Bosworth said the six-party
talks remain the ''central element'' in U.S. handling of issues related to the
Korean Peninsula and that it is important to move the stalled negotiations
forward.
On the abductions, Bosworth emphasized that it is ''primarily'' an issue
between North Korea and Japan but added, ''I think that in time, if we continue
to talk to them about it, I have some degree of confidence that we can find
solutions.''
Bosworth, a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea and current dean of the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, visited North Korea
as a private citizen in early February before he was named as Obama's point man
on North Korea policy.
Bosworth did not specify a date for his next trip to North Korea, but told the
parliamentarians that the visit would be to stop Pyongyang from launching the
missile.
He was also quoted by the Diet members as saying that in the event of such a
launch, the United States and others will discuss their response at the United
Nations.
With regard to the dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear programs, Bosworth
reiterated Washington's stance that there must be a complete verification
process but also noted the importance of providing economic and energy aid to
North Korea in order to realize denuclearization, the parliamentarians said.
He was also quoted as saying that the verification process should include not
only Pyongyang's plutonium programs at its facilities in Yongbyon, but also its
uranium enrichment programs, which North Korea denies having, as well as its
nuclear proliferation to Syria.
How the new U.S. administration approaches North Korea is of great concern to
Japan, which was upset last year when former President George W. Bush removed
North Korea from the U.S. blacklist of state sponsors of terrorism before
Pyongyang properly addressed the dozen or more unresolved cases of its
abductions.
There is lingering concern in Tokyo that the Obama administration could also
neglect the abductions, an emotionally sensitive issue in Japan and a key
obstacle preventing Tokyo from normalizing ties with Pyongyang, as Washington
moves ahead on negotiations with North Korea.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, at the outset of his talks
with Bosworth on Friday evening, called on the envoy for close cooperation not
only on the North Korean nuclear and missile issues but also the abduction
problem.
''Abduction is a serious human rights issue involving a nation's sovereignty
and the lives and security of its people,'' Kawamura told Bosworth. ''Japan
would like to make it a top priority to have all the victims returned as soon
as possible.''
In response, the U.S. envoy expressed his understanding of the importance of
the issue and was quoted by Japanese officials as saying he considers the
abductions a tragedy and violation of Japanese sovereignty.
North Korea has declared it is ready to put its Kwangmyongsong-2 experimental
communications satellite into space. It says the satellite will be carried by
the Unha-2 launch vehicle, which outside experts believe is a redesigned
Taepodong-2 missile.
The denuclearization talks involving North and South Korea, China, Japan,
Russia and the United States have been stalled since December due to
differences over ways to verify North Korea's nuclear activities.
Bosworth, who stopped in Beijing on the first leg of his Asia trip before
visiting Tokyo, will travel to Seoul on Saturday. In addition to meeting South
Korean officials, he will also hold talks with a Russian delegation which will
be visiting South Korea at the same time, he said.
==Kyodo