06 September 2001Text: U.S. Prepared for Serious Discussions with Pyongyang
(Trilateral Meeting September 6 Joint Statement, Tokyo) (660) The United States is prepared "to undertake serious discussions with North Korea without preconditions," according to a joint statement issued September 6 by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea at a trilateral meeting on North Korea held in Tokyo. The joint statement from the Trilateral Oversight and Coordination Group Meeting also described efforts by Japan and the Republic of Korea to engage the Pyongyang regime. The United States in the statement expressed its hope "that North Korea would positively respond to its call" at an early date for discussions. The Tokyo meeting of the delegations from the three countries reviewed the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and shared information on the status of their respective bilateral relations with communist North Korea. Japan's Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kunihiko Makita and Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Yim Sung-joon joined with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly in the third Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group meeting this year. Following is the text of the September 6 Joint Statement issued by the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea at the Trilateral Oversight and Coordination Group Meeting in Tokyo, Japan: (begin text) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman September 6, 2001 NOTICE TO THE PRESS Joint Statement Issued by the U.S., Japan, and the Republic of Korea At Trilateral Oversight and Coordination Group Meeting In Tokyo, Japan September 6, 2001 The delegations of Japan, the United States of America and the Republic of Korea (ROK), headed respectively by Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Kunihiko Makita, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James A. Kelly and Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Yim Sung-joon held this year's third Japan-U.S.-ROK Trilateral Coordination and Oversight Group (TGOC) meeting in Tokyo on September 6. The three delegations reviewed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the status of their bilateral relations with North Korea. They reiterated the importance of the continued efforts by the South and the North toward the steady implementation of the South-North Joint Declaration of June 15, 2000, including the early realization of Chairman Kim Jong-il's visit to Seoul, and shared the view that such efforts would lead to tension reduction and stability on the Korean Peninsula. In this connection, they welcomed the recent North Korean proposal for the resumption of dialogue between South and North Korean authorities. At the same time, they called on North Korea to take steps to address the concerns of the international community, including the steps necessary for steady implementation of the 1994 Agreed Framework. The three delegations agreed on the importance of forging ahead with close consultation and coordination among the three countries in pursuing their respective policies towards North Korea, which include humanitarian affairs. The ROK delegation briefed their counterparts on the current situation of the inter-Korean exchanges, and emphasized that dialogue should begin in areas which can be more easily addressed. The U.S. delegation outlined the situation on U.S.-North Korean relations after the release of the President's statement on the review of U.S. policy toward North Korea. It reaffirmed that the U.S. was prepared to undertake serious discussions with North Korea without preconditions and expressed its hope that North Korea would positively respond to its call at an early date. The Japanese delegation explained the current status of Japan-North Korea relations and expressed that it would continue to make steady efforts toward Japan-North Korea normalization talks so that such normalization may contribute to the peace and stability of Northeast Asia. Finally, the three delegations agreed to hold the next round of trilateral consultations within a few months to further coordinate their respective policies toward North Korea. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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