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Blair says `real danger` from N Korea`s nuke crisis
Hakone, July 19: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today that there was `a real danger` posed by North Korea`s nuclear crisis and argued Japan and South Korea should be included in talks aimed at resolving the worsening problem.
Hakone, July 19: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said today that there was "a real danger" posed by North Korea's nuclear crisis and argued Japan and South Korea should be included in talks aimed at resolving the worsening problem.
"There is a real danger posed by North Korea and its nuclear weapons programme," Blair told a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi following their summit talks in the Japanese SPA resort town, some 100 km west of Tokyo.
"I do not think we can turn away from that danger or pretend that it does not exist," said Blair, whose three-nation East Asia tour was overshadowed by the unexplained death of a 59-year-old British adviser on Iraqi weapons.
During the summit talks, Koizumi told Blair that Tokyo was seeking to launch multilateral talks over Pyongyang's nuclear crisis that include Japan and South Korea, along with the United States, China and North Korea. "It is vital that Japan and South Korea must be included in negotiations with North Korea. I explained that to Prime Minister Blair and he gave his strong understanding, cooperation and support," Koizumi said. North Korea has consistently demanded one-on-one talks with the United States over the nuclear problem, but Washington has insisted on a multilateral format for the talks and has been eager to include Tokyo and Seoul. Blair said that Britain, which established diplomatic ties with North Korea in 2000 and opened its embassy in Pyongyang a year later, would give its full support for multilateral diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
Bureau Report
"I do not think we can turn away from that danger or pretend that it does not exist," said Blair, whose three-nation East Asia tour was overshadowed by the unexplained death of a 59-year-old British adviser on Iraqi weapons.
During the summit talks, Koizumi told Blair that Tokyo was seeking to launch multilateral talks over Pyongyang's nuclear crisis that include Japan and South Korea, along with the United States, China and North Korea. "It is vital that Japan and South Korea must be included in negotiations with North Korea. I explained that to Prime Minister Blair and he gave his strong understanding, cooperation and support," Koizumi said. North Korea has consistently demanded one-on-one talks with the United States over the nuclear problem, but Washington has insisted on a multilateral format for the talks and has been eager to include Tokyo and Seoul. Blair said that Britain, which established diplomatic ties with North Korea in 2000 and opened its embassy in Pyongyang a year later, would give its full support for multilateral diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.
Bureau Report