Top diplomats from 26 Asia-Pacific countries and the European Union on Tuesday called for North Korea to denuclearize after fully abiding by its past pledges to end its nuclear programs.
In a chairman's statement, this year's meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) also urged the "DPRK (North Korea) to comply fully" with its obligations to all relevant U.N. Security Council's sanctions resolutions against its menacing missile and nuclear activities.
"To this end, ministers reiterated their support for all efforts to bring about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner," the statement said.
The ministers, in particular, asked North Korea to honor a deal adopted by the six-party talks on Sept. 19, 2005 in which it had agreed to give up its nuclear programs in exchange for economic and political benefits from the outside world.
The deal fell apart a year later when North Korea conducted its first nuclear test, prompting the U.N. Security Council to take punitive sanctions against it. The North has since conducted two more nuclear tests, drawing stronger sanctions. (Yonhap)