Asean to open backdoor talks with North Korea

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will try to open backdoor talks with the reclusive North Korean government in an effort to convince Pyongyang to drop its nuclear ambitions, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said yesterday.

Romulo said the Asean, which the Philippines chairs, remains optimistic that the tense situation can be resolved "through diplomacy and dialogue" as he reiterated the Asean’s call for North Korea to rejoin the six-party talks on denuclearization.

Asked whether there are efforts from the Asean to undertake back-channel negotiations with the reclusive Pyongyang government, Romulo said: "Well, in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) the Asean wanted to have the six-party talks with North Korea and it’s an effort that’s continuing and that effort must continue to be pursued."

"We will do it," Romulo said when asked if the backdoor talks are already underway. He also said the Asean is optimistic that the situation will simmer down if all sides exercise restraint.

"I’m optimistic that we will let the cooler heads prevail for the good (of) the people in the Korean peninsula and the people in the region," he said.

In a statement issued on behalf of the Asean, Romulo on Thursday protested North Korea’s nuclear tests but called on the international community to exercise restraint in dealing with the issue.

He said the nuclear tests are inconsistent with North Korea’s commitments under the Joint Statement of September 2005, and that these tests threaten the peace and security of East Asia.

"We therefore protest such testing, and strongly enjoined (North Korea) to desist from conducting further tests, and appeal to all parties concerned to exercise restraint, and to refrain from taking action that will aggravate tension."

Romulo said North Korea’s nuclear test violates two agreements: the Six-Party Talk’s Sept. 19 Joint Statement on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1695 and the principles of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF).

He also urged North Korea to return to the Six-Party talks with the United States, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea. — Paolo Romero