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DPRK Backs Russia's Stand on ABM Treaty: Ambassador
Pyongyang backs Moscow's proposals on further radical reduction of strategic offensive arms and on preserving the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, DPRK Ambassador to Russia Pak Ui Chun said here Thursday.
The ambassador made the remarks at a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov on international and regional security, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Last Saturday, at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Cairo, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov offered a proposal on creating an open non-strategic missile defense system in Europe, instead of a Washington-desired national missile shield.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) supports Russia's position on the ABM issues. A pan-European missile defense system can become a "pilot" project in compliance with the 1972 ABM treaty and the 1997 Russian-U.S. agreements on strategic arms reduction, Pak said after Mamedov briefed him on the Cairo meeting.
The Russian and DPRK diplomats agreed that "it is necessary to solve any even the most complex problems by political and diplomatic methods on a non-discriminatory basis and with the participation of all interested sides," the statement said.
Mamedov and Pak also discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Seoul this week, noting that "Russian- Korean talks in Seoul focused on ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region as a whole."
Mamedov said Russia appreciates DPRK leaders' efforts for easing tension on the Korean Peninsula and will strengthen cooperation with Pyongyang to prepare an international space conference due in April 2001.
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