Washington and Tokyo will work together for "swift and effective"
implementation of a recently-adopted UN Security Council resolution on the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said visiting US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice yesterday.
"The United States has no desire to escalate this crisis," Ricetold a joint
news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso after their meeting,
which was focused on the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue.
Noting Washington would like to see the DPRK nuclear issue deescalate, Rice
also said the U.S. government will honor its commitment to the defense of Japan.
For his part, Aso said Japan and the United States will urge the DPRK to
unconditionally return to the stalled six-party talks on its nuclear
development.
The Japanese minister also said both Rice and he called on other countries
concerned to help implement the resolution.
Rice, whose ongoing trip was seen as part of the U.S. diplomatic efforts to
solve the DPRK nuclear issue, is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe on Thursday beforeshe heads for China and South Korea.
The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted the resolution
imposing sanctions against the DPRK for its Oct. 9 nuclear test.
The six-party talks which involve China, the DPRK, Japan, Russia, South Korea
and the United States, have been stalled sincelast November.
