Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-10-11-Speech-3-043"
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"en.20061011.13.3-043"2
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".
Mr President, Secretary-General, High Representative of the Council
the nuclear test which North Korea claims to have conducted at Gilju on the morning of 9 October is an extremely serious matter, which I unreservedly condemn. As the High Representative just said, not only does it threaten regional stability in north-east Asia, it also constitutes the latest in a series of challenges by Kim Jong-il to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Following the announcement of its intention to carry out such a test last Tuesday, North Korea has proceeded in defiance of the near-unanimous advice and wishes of the international community. This action increases North Korea’s international isolation and it is difficult to see how it can serve the interests of the country’s long-suffering population.
As ever, North Korea’s motives are very opaque. It does not seem unreasonable, however, to regard this as a deliberate escalation and provocation by the DPRK, possibly to test the ability of the international community to remain united.
The European Union has spoken out very clearly in response to this nuclear test and I am pleased to note that the international community has been swift, resolute and united in condemning these actions. The very forceful and clear-cut position of China is particularly significant and welcome. I have just come back from a trip to Singapore and Malaysia, and I can assure you that my colleagues are most concerned by this act by North Korea.
I am pleased that we will have an opportunity to discuss the EU’s response at the General Affairs Council next week. But what should we do next? Over the past decade, the European Union has played an active role in support of wider international efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Since the beginning of the humanitarian emergency in the early 1990s, we have been a major donor, delivering some EUR 345 million in assistance since 1995. We also played our part in support of earlier non-proliferation efforts through the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation, and we have offered political support for the six-party talks, although we are not direct participants in that process. Clearly, as a global player that has done its share in the past, we should now play our part again in response to what is clearly a global problem.
The international community will have to take clear action. Somebody will have to talk to the North Korean regime to bring it out of its very paranoid and aggressive posture, and the man who I believe has been designated as the next UN Secretary-General might be the right person to do so.
It is still a little early to say what action we should take, although various options are on the table. As a staunch advocate of multilateralism, the European Union must pay particular attention to what is decided in the United Nations. In line with the Treaties, we look to the EU Member States sitting on the Security Council to take due account of EU views as they participate actively in these important discussions in New York. I am pleased to note that the negotiations within the Security Council appear to be making good and rapid progress towards a substantive and clear resolution on this matter.
With regard to humanitarian assistance, the population has suffered enormously, and therefore I would like to keep up the humanitarian assistance to these people in the future. They should not be put at risk and punished even more by the terrible regime."@en1
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