Pressure on North Korea, Iran
1.21.2004
(CNN) --South Korea has given a cautious welcome to U.S. President George W. Bush's pledge to keep weapons of mass destruction out of the "hands of the world's most dangerous regimes."
Japan was more upbeat, describing Bush's speech as a strong message that the U.S. is committed to world peace.
Bush singled out North Korea and Iran in his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday and vowed America would not allow them to pursue WMD programs.
North Korea has been pushing for a lifting of sanctions, economic and fuel aid, and a security commitment from the U.S. before it gives up its nuclear ambitions -- repeated consistently since October 2002 when U.S. officials said Pyongyang admitted to secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 treaty.
The White House has refused the demands saying it will not be blackmailed into concession, and has been seeking to resolve the standoff via diplomatic channels in cooperation with other nations in the region. However, international talks aimed at finding a resolution have so far achieved little.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said Bush's speech reinforced Washington's consistent hard-line stance against weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their proliferation.
The ministry also said Bush hasn't dramatically changed his stance since he branded Iran and North Korea, along with Iraq, an "axis of evil" two years ago.
After applauding Libya for its disclosure and promise to dismantle its WMD programs -- achieved, Bush said, through nine months of "intense negotiations" -- the U.S. president admitted "different threats require different strategies."
"Along with other nations in the region, we are insisting that North Korea eliminate its nuclear program. American and the international community are demanding that Iran meet its commitments and not develop nuclear weapons," Bush said.
South Korea applauded Bush for contrasting the case of North Korea with the recent positive example of Libya and also Iraq's Saddam Hussein regime, which was toppled by a U.S.-led invasion.
"The U.S. president clearly sent a message that North Korea should come out to negotiate and not ignore the nuclear issue," ministry spokesman Shin Bong-kil said, noting Seoul had not yet fully digested the speech.
In Tokyo, Japan's foreign ministry also welcomed Bush's renewed promise to use multi-nation dialogue to try and end the North Korean standoff.
"We are pleased President Bush committed to international cooperation to the reconstruction of Iraq and also in resolution of the North Korean issue," ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima told CNN.
"The message was very strong and we are pleased President Bush not only emphasized the importance of protecting American people but he is also committed to world peace."
Japan -- a close U.S. ally that has been involved in diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korean crisis -- has recently dispatched an advance team of ground troops to pave the way for a larger deployment of soldiers to assist in humanitarian projects in Iraq.
Hatsuhisa said the troop dispatch was proof Tokyo shared the same commitment as Bush in the reconstruction of Iraq as well as the ongoing fight against terrorism.
Elsewhere, there little immediate response to the State of the Union address.
North Korea and Iran did not immediately respond to the speech.
Tehran three months ago promised to halt uranium enrichment -- a key process in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
But international efforts to ensure a fragile agreement negotiated in October to avert a looming crisis appear to be failing with experts and Western diplomats concerned Iran may be reneging on the deal.
There were no indications that any of China's government controlled television stations carried the speech live.
Internet news reports on state-run Xinhuanet.com focused on Bush's defense of the Iraq war as well as the continuing war on terror. The China Daily used CNN.com's coverage of the State of the Union address.
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/01/21/sotu.reax/Some ministers have resigned.