Statement by Ambassador Mitsuru Kitano at the Board of Governors Meeting starting on Monday, 8 June 2015 Agenda Item 7(c): Application of safeguards in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
2015/6/10
Thank you, Madam Chair.
North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and missile-related activities, including uranium enrichment, pose serious threat to peace and security not just in Northeast Asia
but to the entire international community. These activities are in violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the September 2005 Joint
Statement of the Six-Party Talks. Japan has been and continues to be most seriously concerned by these activities.
Madam Chair,
At the NPT Review Conference in April and May, a significant number of countries made references to the nuclear and missile development by North
Korea, condemning and expressing concerns about its nuclear tests, and urging North Korea to return to the NPT and its IAEA safeguards agreement
without delay.
Moreover, the draft final document of the Conference, although not adopted, reflects the concerns of a majority of the NPT State parties. The draft contains
much stronger language on North Korea than the final document of the NPT Review Conference in 2010, and it urges North Korea, among others, to refrain
from conducting further nuclear tests, to renounce its policy of building its nuclear forces, to abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear
programmes, to cease all its nuclear activities immediately, to fully comply with its United Nations Security Council obligations, and to take concrete steps to
honor its commitments under the Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks. This is the result of the coordination among interested parties. We believe it is a great
progress that these interested parties agreed to send strong messages regarding the nuclear development of North Korea in this Conference. It is
essential that the international community build on this recognition and urge North Korea, in a united manner, to take concrete steps toward denuclearization.
It was reported in the Director General’s Report of September last year that developments were observed at the 5MW graphite moderated reactor site that
indicate its operation, and that further renovations to the enrichment facility were also observed. Furthermore, North Korea has repeatedly expressed its
intention to possess nuclear weapons, which clearly demonstrates that North Korea has in no way changed its objective of making other countries
acknowledge its status as a so called “nuclear possessor State”. Further, North Korea has ongoing missile programmes to increase its capabilities of the
delivery means of weapons of mass destruction. These are all in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and are matters of grave concern.
Madam Chair,
In accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the September 2005 Six-Party Talks Joint Statement, North Korea is required:
- First, not to conduct any further provocation including nuclear tests;
- Second, to abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, including any uranium enrichment activities, in a complete,
verifiable and irreversible manner, and immediately cease all related activities;
- Third, to retract its announcement of withdrawal from the NPT; and
- Fourth, to act strictly in accordance with its IAEA Safeguards Agreement.
In addition to these points, North Korea must provide transparency measures, as stipulated in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Having said all of the above, Japan hopes that the IAEA will continue to play an important role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issues.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and missile-related activities, including uranium enrichment, pose serious threat to peace and security not just in Northeast Asia
but to the entire international community. These activities are in violation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the September 2005 Joint
Statement of the Six-Party Talks. Japan has been and continues to be most seriously concerned by these activities.
Madam Chair,
At the NPT Review Conference in April and May, a significant number of countries made references to the nuclear and missile development by North
Korea, condemning and expressing concerns about its nuclear tests, and urging North Korea to return to the NPT and its IAEA safeguards agreement
without delay.
Moreover, the draft final document of the Conference, although not adopted, reflects the concerns of a majority of the NPT State parties. The draft contains
much stronger language on North Korea than the final document of the NPT Review Conference in 2010, and it urges North Korea, among others, to refrain
from conducting further nuclear tests, to renounce its policy of building its nuclear forces, to abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear
programmes, to cease all its nuclear activities immediately, to fully comply with its United Nations Security Council obligations, and to take concrete steps to
honor its commitments under the Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks. This is the result of the coordination among interested parties. We believe it is a great
progress that these interested parties agreed to send strong messages regarding the nuclear development of North Korea in this Conference. It is
essential that the international community build on this recognition and urge North Korea, in a united manner, to take concrete steps toward denuclearization.
It was reported in the Director General’s Report of September last year that developments were observed at the 5MW graphite moderated reactor site that
indicate its operation, and that further renovations to the enrichment facility were also observed. Furthermore, North Korea has repeatedly expressed its
intention to possess nuclear weapons, which clearly demonstrates that North Korea has in no way changed its objective of making other countries
acknowledge its status as a so called “nuclear possessor State”. Further, North Korea has ongoing missile programmes to increase its capabilities of the
delivery means of weapons of mass destruction. These are all in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and are matters of grave concern.
Madam Chair,
In accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the September 2005 Six-Party Talks Joint Statement, North Korea is required:
- First, not to conduct any further provocation including nuclear tests;
- Second, to abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, including any uranium enrichment activities, in a complete,
verifiable and irreversible manner, and immediately cease all related activities;
- Third, to retract its announcement of withdrawal from the NPT; and
- Fourth, to act strictly in accordance with its IAEA Safeguards Agreement.
In addition to these points, North Korea must provide transparency measures, as stipulated in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Having said all of the above, Japan hopes that the IAEA will continue to play an important role in resolving the North Korean nuclear issues.
Thank you, Madam Chair.