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S Korea, Japan united against N Korea
ahead of summit
REUTERS , SEOGWIPO, SOUTH KOREA
Sunday, May 30, 2010, Page 1
South Korea and Japan yesterday vowed to stand united against
North Korea ahead of a regional summit likely to press China over its reluctance
to take on Pyongyang over the sinking of a South Korean ship.
Leaders of the three big northeast Asian powers are meeting in Seogwipo, a
honeymoon resort on the South Korean island of Jeju, with the original intention
of boosting plans for greater regional cooperation and economic integration.
Instead, the quarrel between North and South Korea has stolen the limelight. The
two sides of the divided, heavily armed peninsula are in a deepening standoff
after a South Korean warship was sunk in late March, killing 46 sailors, and
Seoul has concluded that North Korea was responsible.
In talks over two days, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime
Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (·Å®aÄ_) are likely to dwell
on the dispute, which has opened a breach between China and its neighbors, both
of whom back firm international action against Pyongyang.
At Hatoyama¡¦s suggestion, the three leaders observed a moment of silence for the
dead sailors before starting their talks.
¡§North Korea¡¦s provocative actions are unforgivable,¡¨ Hatoyama was quoted by a
senior Japanese government official as telling Lee ahead of the main three-way
summit. ¡§Japan, along with the international community, is condemning such moves
and strongly backs South Korea.¡¨
The mounting antagonism between the two Koreas has unnerved investors, worried
the confrontation could erupt into conflict in this region holding the world¡¦s
second and third biggest economies ¡X Japan and China.
Many analysts say that neither side is ready to go to war, but warn there could
be more skirmishes, especially along their disputed sea border off the west
coast.
China counts neighboring North Korea as a friend and a buffer against the other,
US-allied neighbors. It has stayed away from condemning Pyongyang, saying it
needs to consider the evidence and urging restraint on all sides.
Wen held to that position in a meeting with Lee on Friday, but he also said
Beijing would not protect anyone found culpable for the sinking. In his opening
remarks to the three-nation summit, Wen did not mention the Cheonan and struck
an upbeat tone.
¡§I look forward to working with President Lee and Prime Minister Hatoyama to
achieve solid results [at the meeting] and send a message to the world of
confidence and hope in peace, stability and development [in the region],¡¨ Wen
said.
Beijing¡¦s reticence makes for tricky diplomacy for Seoul, which will need
China¡¦s backing or abstention from voting to secure a UN Security Council
statement or resolution criticizing North Korea over the sinking. As a permanent
member of the Security Council, China can veto such actions.
The leaders of South Korea and Japan made a show of unity over that issue
yesterday.
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