VARIOUS: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits South Korea.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday (October 19) that the way was still open to North Korea to negotiate on its nuclear weapons programme, despite U.S.-led sanctions on Pyongyang. Rice dispelled reports that participation in mobilising countries to monitor North Korean cargo was a blockade. "The United States has no desire to do anything to escalate this situation and the idea that somehow we would want 17 and 18 to be implemented in a way that escalates tensions on the Korean peninsula or on the high seas for that matter simply could not be more wrong. What we want is effective implementation," she added. Rice arrived in Seoul on Thursday from Tokyo as the Bush administration begins a diplomatic campaign to rally international support for UN sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear test. She was expected to press South Korea, one of the North's main benefactors, to help keep its neighbour in check. In Tokyo a day earlier, she assured Asian allies of America's commitment to defend them. The U.S. has expressed concern over a South Korea-run industrial complex and mountain resort. Ban said South Korea would make adjustments to adhere to the UN resolution. "For our government, in relations to the Kaesong industrial complex and Mount Kumgang tourist resort, we will examine needed adjustments so that it will be in accord with and coincide with the United Nations Security Council resolution and the requests of the international community," Ban said. Rice added that she hoped a Chinese envoy visiting Pyongyang had been successful in telling North Korea that it needed to return to talks. Earlier on Thursday (October 19), U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza met with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. Rice also met with Foreign ministers from South Korea and Japan met on Thursday (October 19) in Seoul to hold negotiations over North Korea's nuclear test. The meeting comes as Rice began her trip to the region in Japan on Wednesday (October 18) as intelligence experts said satellites had spotted an increase in activity at a suspected nuclear test site in North Korea. Ban said the meeting was a show of unity among the three allies and would be able to send a very strong message to North Korea, a pool report said. The three-way meeting was the first since 2000. U.S. and South Korean officials said there was no sign another test was imminent. But a South Korean lawmaker and parliamentary intelligence committee member, Chung Hyung-keun, said the North could be preparing three or four more tests. Chinese customs agents checked papers and trucks on the border with North Korea on Thursday (October 19), but there was no sign of increased scrutiny despite U.N. sanctions over the North's reported nuclear test. China joined in the U.N. Security Council's 15-0 approval of a U.S.-drafted package of financial and weapons sanctions against North Korea, its old Communist ally and trading partner. But Beijing made clear it would not conduct searches of cargo going to and from North Korea for material that could be used to produce weapons of mass destruction. Meanwhile, North Korea's strongest backer China has sent a special envoy to Pyongyang to deliver a "very strong" message not to conduct another nuclear test, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday. Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. Tang Jiaxuan, state councillor and former foreign minister, had delivered a message from Hu and they had discussed North Korea's nuclear test. Liu said he could not give any specifics about what was said Liu said Tang arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday (October 18) along with Chinese Vice Foreign Ministers Dai Bingguo and Wu Dawei, who is also China's chief negotiator to the six-way talks. The official was travelling with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived in Seoul from Tokyo to seek South Korea's help in pressuring Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons ambitions. Rice was coming from Tokyo where she assured Asian allies of America's commitment to defend them. The United States is worried Japan and South Korea might try to build up their own arms in response to North Korea's nuclear test, which led to a UN Security Council vote to impose financial and weapons sanctions. President George W. Bush warned North Korea on Wednesday of grave consequences if it tried to sell nuclear arms and said the United States would use whatever means necessary to stop it. Bush has stressed the need to resolve the stand-off through diplomacy but said it was still an open question whether UN sanctions would work. The United States is worried Japan and South Korea might embark on an arms build-up in response to North Korea's nuclear test last week and its pledges to boost its atomic arsenal. Rice, who is seeking a unified stance on UN sanctions, made her trip to North Asia as intelligence experts said satellites had spotted an increase in activity at the North's suspected test site, suggesting a second blast may be imminent. U.S. and South Korean officials said there was no sign another test was imminent, however. As Rice was holding the emergency talks with Ban, a group of anti-U.S. protesters shouted noisily outside the Foreign Ministry. Waving placards reading "Bush is a terrorist" and "Talk to Kim Jong-il, (North Korean leader) make peace" Kim Pan-tae, one of the protesters blamed White House policy on prompting Pyongyang to go ahead with the nuclear test. "North Korea tested a weapon because the U.S. continued its hardline policy and it is obvious that the intention of the U.S. is to overthrow the North Korean regime, which is the main reason for the North Korean nuclear crisis," he said. At the same time, pro-United States demonstrators held another rally outside the Foreign Ministry to welcome Rice. Earlier another group of protesters burned North Korean flags to denounce North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. They are calling for tough U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang, to be enforced by military means. Rice will travel to Beijing on Friday to continue the push for enforcement of the U.N. sanctions, particularly the inspection of North Korean cargo to intercept weapons and weapons parts. Rice made her trip as intelligence experts said satellites had spotted an increase in activity at the North's suspected test site, suggesting a second blast may be imminent.

ITN Source | October 19, 2006

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