North Korea Nuclear Crisis

DPRK urged to keep calm on nuke test

By Le Tian (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-05 09:33

China Wednesday urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to exercise restraint after it announced plans to go forward with a nuclear test.

"China hopes the DPRK will keep calm and observe restraint on the nuclear test issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement posted on the ministry's website.

"We also hope that all relevant parties will address their concerns through dialogue and consultation instead of taking actions that may intensify the situation," Liu said.

Liu's remarks came one day after the DPRK announced it would conduct a nuclear test in the future.

The Chinese side has always sought a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and called for safeguarding peace and stability throughout the peninsula and Northeast Asia through the Six-Party Talks.

In Tuesday's statement, DPRK said "the field of scientific research of the DPRK will in the future conduct a nuclear test under conditions where safety is firmly guaranteed."

DPRK "will never use nuclear weapons first," the statement added.

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing exchanged views with his counterpart of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ban Ki-moon Wednesday by telephone, reiterating China's position on the DPRK nuclear issue.

Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai held talks on the issue with David Sedney, charge-de-affaires of the US Embassy, Wednesday in Beijing.

The international community responded quickly to DPRK's announcement.

The United States' Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday that a nuclear test by DPRK would be a "very provocative" act.

Earlier in the day, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement that a nuclear test conducted by the DPRK would pose an "unacceptable" threat to peace and stability in Asia and the world.

ROK's President Roh Moo-hyun Wednesday called for a "cool-headed and stern" response to the DPRK's announcement, while Foreign Ministry spokesman Choo Kyu-ho said a nuclear test by the DPRK could cause a change in its engagement policy towards Pyongyang.

Choo also said: "The ROK Government clearly reaffirms the position that it would never be acceptable for the North (DPRK) to possess nuclear weapons, and the government urges the North to immediately scrap the plan to conduct a nuclear test."

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said "we simply could not accept" a nuclear test.

Russia's defence minister Wednesday urged the DPRK to show restraint over its plans to conduct a nuclear test, and voiced concern about the environmental consequences in neighbouring Russian territory.

"The nuclear testsif they take place, could cause ecological damage in Russia," Sergei Ivanov said during a visit to a Russian air base in Kyrgyzstan.

In Australia, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement that a nuclear test "would be completely unacceptable to the international community and would provoke a very strong international response."

The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Tuesday voiced his serious concern over the DPRK's planned nuclear test. "Such action, if undertaken, would further aggravate tensions in the region," he said.