NATO, Japan demand peaceful N.Korea resolution

Tokyo, Oct 31 (IANS) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to find a peaceful solution to the North Korean crisis.

Stoltenberg in a meeting with Abe reiterated NATO's strong condemnation of the weapons tests by the North Korean regime and said that strong international pressure is required for Pyongyang to take a responsible path towards peaceful resolution, reports Efe news.

He also urged the Kim Jong-un regime to fulfil the commitments adopted in 2005 after the six-party talks for its denuclearisation, and to take concrete steps to put an immediate end to its nuclear and missile development programme.

Pyongyang agreed in the talks - currently stalled - involving China, Japan, US, South Korea, and Russia to abandon its nuclear programme in exchange for political and economic concessions.

Stoltenberg also expressed concern about the situation in the East and South China Seas.

Japan has been in a territorial dispute with China over the sovereignty of Senkaku Islands (known as Diaoyu in China), the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, which some argue could harbour important marine and energy resources.

The incursion of Chinese vessels, both fishing and coast guard, in the waters of the islands and its vicinity intensified since Japan in 2012 nationalised three of the islets, making it a source of diplomatic conflicts.

NATO, which supports Japan's claim to the islets, said its position was maintaining a maritime order based on rules which respects freedom of navigation, overflight and other lawful uses of the sea, in full compliance with the applicable international legislation.