Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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QUESTION: In a similar vein, yesterday Radio Free Asia announced that it was going to start -- as of today, it was doubling its Korean language broadcasts into North Korea. And I recognize that RFA is independently editorial, but you guys do have some --

MR. BOUCHER: Sit on the board.

QUESTION: You sit on the board. Do you know if the State Department had any -- was involved in any way in consulting with RFA about doing this?

MR. BOUCHER: I do not know. I would have to check. I will check.

QUESTION: Can you update us, Richard, on Mr. Kelly's meetings today and, I believe, he's going to Singapore next after China?

MR. BOUCHER: He was in Singapore and is now in Jakarta. I think you have seen what he said in Beijing -- very good meetings, excellent chance to exchange views, work together and communicate with other people -- including North Korea -- very, very clearly, the message is that the Chinese will try to work together with us and communicate.

We all agree on the end result: the Korean peninsula has to be free of nuclear weapons. His consultations in Asia are a very important part of the work on a diplomatic solution to eliminating North Korean nuclear weapons program. The entire region has told North Korea that it must address the world's concerns over its nuclear weapons program and North Korea must visibly and verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

We will keep consulting with other concerned states. He has met with senior Chinese officials. On Wednesday, he visited Singapore, today, for meetings with senior officials there on all the issues of mutual concern. And he arrived in Jakarta late on January 16th.

QUESTION: When he meets in Singapore and Indonesia, is he discussing any other issues in addition to North Korea?

MR. BOUCHER: I am sure the -- even in the other stops, he is discussing other issues. Clearly with Japan, Korea and China -- the North Korea issues take great prominence. Singapore and other stops -- issues of cooperation, issues of counterterrorism, shared efforts against terrorism, issues in the world like Iraq and North Korea, obviously, come up.

QUESTION: When's he coming back?

MR. BOUCHER: At the end of his trip. (Laughter.) He is still got to go to Japan on the way back. I cannot remember if there is anywhere else between Indonesia and Japan, but a couple days.

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