Washington: Buoyed by the diplomatic success of former US president Bill Clinton in securing the release of two American journalists from North Korea, a top Senator has asked Pyongyang and Washington to now resume dialogue on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement welcomed the news that US citizens Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been pardoned by North Korea and are now on their way home.
"North Korea is doing the right thing by granting Mrs. Ling and Mrs. Lee amnesty and letting them return to their families. I hope this goodwill gesture will create a new, more
positive tone in US-DPRK relations," Kerry said.
Using the occasion, Kerry called on the US and North Korea to promptly resume talks on denuclearisation. "This moment shouldn`t be lost," he said.
"North Korea`s pursuit of nuclear weapons is a threat to regional security and stands as an obstacle to what the people of North Korea most want: respect, security, development, and peace," Kerry added.
"But the United States, in concert with the Republic of Korea, Japan, China and Russia -- our partners in the Six Party Talks -- remains willing to engage in a mutually respectful dialogue with the DPRK to accomplish the goals of denuclearisation and normalisation and to create a permanent peace mechanism for the Korean Peninsula," he said.
Bureau Report
