Full text of Obama's statement on N. Korean rocket launch

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, April 5 (Yonhap) -- The following is the full text of the statement
released by
U.S. President Barack Obama from Prague, Czech Republic. Obama is on a European tour
after attending the G20 economic summit in London. He is to return home Tuesday.

North Korea's development and proliferation of ballistic missile technology pose
a threat to the northeast Asian region and to international peace and security.
The launch today of a Taepo-dong 2 missile was a clear violation of United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, which expressly prohibits North Korea
from conducting ballistic missile-related activities of any kind. With this
provocative act, North Korea has ignored its international obligations, rejected
unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community
of nations.
We will immediately consult with our allies in the region, including Japan and
the Republic of Korea, and members of the U.N. Security Council to bring this
matter before the Council. I urge North Korea to abide fully by the resolutions
of the U.N. Security Council and to refrain from further provocative actions.
Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of
delivery is a high priority for my administration. The United States is fully
committed to maintaining security and stability in northeast Asia and we will
continue working for the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula
through the Six-Party Talks.
The Six-Party Talks provide the forum for achieving denuclearization, reducing
tensions, and for resolving other issues of concern between North Korea, its four
neighbors, and the United States. North Korea has a pathway to acceptance in the
international community, but it will not find that acceptance unless it abandons
its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and abides by its international
obligations and commitments.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)