ASEAN backs U.N. resolution on N.K.

Foreign ministers of 27 Asia Pacific countries on Friday backed U.N. sanctions on North Korea and called it to refrain from any further provocations.

The top diplomats wrapped up the annual ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum, the region’s largest security conference, in Phnom Penh.

“(The ministers) urged concerned parties not to take any further provocations and to comply with their respective obligations under the relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions and their commitment under the 2005 Six-Party Talks Joint Statement,” said the chairman’s statement approved by the participating countries.

“The ministers further reiterated the call for all parties concerned to explore all possibilities to engage in peaceful dialogue that would lead to the creation of an atmosphere of trust and confidence among the concerned parties.”

The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korea’s April 13 rocket launch as a disguised test of missile capabilities.

The latest warning deals a blow to Pyongyang, which has been seeking to reinforce ties with Southeast Asian countries in recent months, benefiting their largely neutral attitude toward inter-Korean issues.

At the two-day meeting, North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun held bilateral talks with his counterparts from China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia, focusing on economic cooperation.

He strove to convince other participants that the botched rocket test carried an utterly peaceful purpose and its nuclear programs are aimed at deterring U.S. hostility.

His delegation released a statement later Tuesday, saying Washington’s “never-ending nuclear threat” has forced Pyongyang to build atomic weapons.

International efforts to denuclearize the impoverished state have made little progress due to its persistent acts of intimidation. The six-party negotiations aimed at dissuading it from nuclear ambitions involve the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and both Koreas.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reportedly pushed for the adoption of a warning against the North in the statement.

They said Pyongyang should abide by international obligations under a 2005 six-party disarmament agreement and U.N. Security Council resolutions that demand it to forsake all atomic projects before returning to the negotiating table.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldm.com)