ＡＲＦ閣僚会議 国際的に孤立が極まる北朝鮮

The Yomiuri Shimbun July 5, 2013
North Korea must adjust stance in face of heightened isolation
ＡＲＦ閣僚会議　国際的に孤立が極まる北朝鮮（7月4日付・読売社説）

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first secretary of the country’s Workers’ Party of Korea, must soberly accept the reality that his country’s isolation under the sanctions of the international community has intensified and shift to a policy of abandoning Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
　国際社会の制裁下で孤立を極める現実を、北朝鮮の金正恩第１書記は厳粛に受け止めて、核放棄へ転換を図るべきだ。

A ministerial meeting of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Regional Forum, attended by foreign ministers from 26 countries including Japan, the United States and China, as well as the European Union, was held in Brunei and adopted a chairman’s statement.
　日本、米国、中国など２７か国・機構をメンバーとする東南アジア諸国連合（ＡＳＥＡＮ）地域フォーラム（ＡＲＦ）閣僚会議がブルネイで開かれ、議長声明を採択した。

The statement stipulates that most ministers urge North Korea to comply with its obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions and that most ministers call on North Korea to abide by its commitments under the September 2005 six-party joint statement. The chairman’s statement thus urges North Korea to take action toward abandonment of its nuclear program.
　声明は、北朝鮮に対し、国連安全保障理事会の決議や２００５年９月の６か国協議共同声明の「義務を順守するよう大多数の閣僚が求めた」と明記し、核放棄に向けて行動するよう促した。

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun made a rebuttal to the ARF statement, saying among other things that the deterioration of the situation on the Korean Peninsula stems from the United States’ deep-rooted policy of hostility toward North Korea.
　北朝鮮の朴宜春外相は、「朝鮮半島情勢の悪化は、米国の敵視政策による」などと反論した。

No supporters

However, none of North Korea’s comments were included in the statement. This has significant meaning, as it symbolizes the fact that not a single country stands with North Korea.
　しかし、そうした北朝鮮の主張が声明に盛り込まれなかった意味は重い。擁護してくれる国もない北朝鮮の現状を象徴している。

The statement is part of a series of international measures to pressure the reclusive country following the U.S.-China summit talks and the Group of Eight summit meeting, both held in June.
　今回の声明は、６月の米中首脳会談や主要８か国首脳会議（Ｇ８サミット）に続く、北朝鮮への国際的な圧力の一環だ。

Since last year, North Korea has launched a long-range ballistic missile and conducted a third nuclear test despite international warnings. Each time, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to strengthen sanctions against the country.
　北朝鮮は昨年来、長距離弾道ミサイル発射と３回目の核実験を強行し、その都度、安保理は制裁強化決議を全会一致で採択した。

The ARF statement also stipulates that most ministers reconfirmed their nations would “fully implement” UNSC sanction resolutions on North Korea. This can be regarded as a declaration of the participating nations’ determination not to loosen restrictions on Pyongyang.
　議長声明は、制裁決議の「全面的な履行」を大多数の閣僚が再確認したことも併記した。北朝鮮への締め付けを緩めはしない、という決意の表明と言える。

North Korea’s recent shift to a policy of dialogue, away from its brinkmanship strategy of creating crises through provocative remarks and actions, must be proof of its struggle to find a way to escape from its current situation, in which it can barely prop up the economy due to the pressure of sanctions.
　北朝鮮が最近、挑発的な言動で危機を作り出す瀬戸際戦術から対話路線に転換したのも、制裁圧力で経済立て直しが進まない窮状からの出口を、何とか見いだそうと模索している証しだろう。

Take concrete action

North Korea has been asking the United States to accept its proposal for dialogue without preconditions.
　北朝鮮は米国に、前提条件なく対話に応じるよう求めている。

If the United States accepted that by willingly overlooking North Korea’s selfish actions of repeating nuclear tests and missile launches, it would simply be repeating the past. In that sense, it is quite appropriate for Japan, the United States and South Korea to demand North Korea take concrete action toward denuclearization of the country.
　核実験やミサイル発射を繰り返した北朝鮮の身勝手な振る舞いを不問に付して対話に応じれば、同じことの繰り返しだ。まず非核化への「具体的な行動」を北朝鮮に求める日米韓の対応は妥当だ。

North Korea’s Pak resorted to deception over the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents, saying that the issue “has been completely resolved.” Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida flatly rejected Pak’s statement as “in contradiction of the facts,” based on the past sequence of events, including North Korea’s promise to reinvestigate the matter. Kishida further called for concerted action by the international community, claiming other countries than Japan have had people abducted. His actions were quite appropriate.
　拉致問題を巡り、朴外相は「完全に解決ずみ」と詭弁(きべん)を弄した。岸田外相が、再調査を北朝鮮が約束した過去の経緯などを踏まえて「事実に反する」と一蹴し、日本以外にも被害者がいると国際連帯を呼びかけたのは適切だった。

The chairman’s statement also touches upon the importance of addressing international humanitarian concerns. This indirectly reflects Japan’s strong demand for resolution of the abduction issue.
　議長声明は、「国際社会の人道上の懸念事項に対処する重要性」をうたった。拉致問題の解決を強く求める日本の主張が、間接的に反映されたものだ。

There must be no normalization of relations between Japan and North Korea without a comprehensive solution of the latter’s nuclear and missile development programs and the abduction issue. The government needs to firmly maintain this stance and persuade Kim Jong Un to move things forward on the abduction issue, while tightening the noose around North Korea.
　核とミサイル、拉致の包括的解決なしに日朝正常化はない。政府はこの立場を堅持し、北朝鮮包囲網を狭めつつ、金第１書記に拉致問題の前進を迫る必要がある。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun,  July 4, 2013)
（2013年7月4日01時36分  読売新聞）