NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, November 10, 2005

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NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, November 10, 2005

NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, November 10, 2005

I. NAPSnet

Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. NAPSnet

1. Six Party Talks

Reuters (“US TELLS NORTH KOREA TO STOP ITS REACTOR “, 2005-11-10) reported that the DPRK must halt its nuclear weapons program now to show it is taking negotiations on disarmament seriously, the US said on Thursday on the second day of six party talks in Beijing. Negotiators said the three-day session would focus on the logistics of further bargaining after a framework for disarmament was agreed in September, but the perennial issue remains trust between the two main protagonists, Washington and Pyongyang.

(return to top) Agence France Presse (“US REJECTS NORTH KOREA’S DISARMAMENT IDEA “, 2005-11-09) reported that the US brushed aside the DPRK’s fresh proposal to abandon its nuclear arms as the six party talks resumed here with sharp differences remaining between the two countries. Chief US delegate Christopher Hill said the DPRK put forward unspecified steps to rid itself of nuclear weapons and nuclear programs in exchange for energy aid, security guarantees and other benefits. “I think that the DPRK (North Korea) needs to understand that we need to move swiftly on denuclearization and the fact that denuclearization is the first step in the agreement,” Hill told reporters. (return to top) The Associated Press (“KOREA CLAIMS U.S. UNDERMINING NUKE TALKS “, 2005-11-10) reported that talks on the DPRK’s nuclear programs turned sour Thursday as Pyongyang demanded that Washington release frozen assets of firms suspected of weapons proliferation and stop accusing the DPRK of counterfeiting US money, ROK news reports said. DPRK delegates accused the US of undermining an agreement in September, when Pyongyang pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees, the ROK’s Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed officials. (return to top)

2. DPRK-US Relations in Six Party Talks

Yonhap News (“NUCLEAR TALKS TURN SOUR AFTER PYONGYANG’S ACCUSATION OF WASHINGTON”, 2005-11-10) reported that the six party talks hit a snag on Thursday after the DPRK asked the US to withdraw its latest economic sanctions against it, a source closed to the negotiations said. In early October, the US Treasury Department blacklisted eight DPRK companies suspected of being implicated in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and froze their US-based assets. When the six party talks reconvened on Thursday, the chief DPRK envoy, Kim Kye-gwan, lambasted the US action, warning that it would block progress in the negotiations, the source said. The DPRK envoy was also angry at what he called “false” US accusations that his country has long been trafficking narcotics and counterfeit dollars.

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3. Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation

Yonhap News (“HYUNDAI’S TIES WITH N. KOREA ON THE MEND: CHAIRWOMAN “, 2005-11-10) reported that the head of the ROK’s Hyundai Group said Thursday that its “misunderstanding” with the DPRK over the dismissal of the group’s point man on its business in the DPRK has now been resolved. “We and North Korea reconfirmed our confidence in each other,” Hyundai Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun said after returning from a visit to the DPR Korean border city of Kaesong, a trip made as part of the group’s efforts to restore relations. “The matter of normalizing tourism at the scenic Mount Geumgang in the North will be discussed tomorrow,” she added.

(return to top) Yonhap News (“SEOUL TO PUSH FOR PREFERENTIAL DUTIES ON INTER-KOREAN COMPLEX PRODUCTS “, 2005-11-10) reported that the ROK will push to have the same customs duties imposed on products made in the inter-Korean industrial complex as ROK goods, when it signs free trade agreements with foreign nations, a top Seoul official said Thursday. The move is part of efforts to promote exports of goods made in the complex in the DPRK border town of Kaesong, as some say it is hard for other nations to import Kaesong goods since they can’t be regarded as ROK ones. A free trade agreement (FTA) signed between Seoul and Singapore in August gives products made at the complex the same status as those produced in the ROK. Seoul hopes this will further attract companies to invest in the experimental industrial park just north of the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas. (return to top)

4. DPRK-PRC Relations

Chosun Ilbo (“CHINA SELLING WMD TO N. KOREA: U.S. COMMITTEE “, 2005-11-10) reported that The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in its 2005 report quoted testimony by US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lowell Jacoby as saying the PRC companies continued to provide the DPRK and Pakistan with WMD and other hardware. The report also said the PRC had in the past helped DPRK ships and planes involved in arms proliferation. The report says that although the PRC companies have consistently been sanctioned for their role in the diffusion on WMD technology, the sanctions have had little or no effect because they are not extended to parent companies as well. In the new report, it says the DPRK’s economy would collapse without the PRC assistance and called on the White House to pressure the PRC to exert its crucial influence in resolving the DPRK nuclear issue. It proposes asking the UN Security Council to take sanctions against the DPRK if it fails dismantle its nuclear program, saying PRC’s vote on the issue would reveal how serious the Beijing is in resolving the nuclear dispute.

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5. DPRK-Japanese Bilateral Talks

Yomiuri Shimbun (“JAPAN, NORTH KOREA MEET ON SIDELINES OF 6-WAY TALKS “, 2005-11-10) reported that Kenichiro Sasae, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, held talks with the DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan at the Japanese ambassador’s official residence here Tuesday night during which Sasae stressed that the DPRK should settle the abduction issue. During the 2-1/2-hour meeting held prior to the six party talks on the DPRK’s nuclear development program, Sasae said, “It’s important to solve the abduction issue…Making progress in Japanese-North Korean relations will also have a favorable impact on the six-way talks.”

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6. DPRK Food Aid

The Associated Press (“U.S. MAY SUSPEND N. KOREA FOOD AID “, 2005-11-09) reported that the US said Thursday it may have to suspend food aid deliveries to the DPRK for the remainder of the year. An announcement by the US Agency for International Development said the suspension will take place if the UN World Food Program is forced to end its distribution activities, as announced, or further curtail its ability to monitor delivery of food shipments.

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7. DPRK Food Ration System

The Korea Times (“NK FOOD RATION SYSTEM FORCES PEOPLE TO WORK “, 2005-11-10) reported that the newly introduced food ration system in the DPRK offers different rates to workers and those who do not work in order to encourage people to return to their workplaces, reports said. According to the reports, the new ration system that has been implemented in urban areas in the DPRK and provides the staple foods such as rice, corn, wheat and potato but at two different prices to the public in the country. The DPRK authorities reportedly decided to levy taxes on food products individually produced by regarding it as part of food rations. The DPRK has also banned selling and circulating food products between individuals in the market, forcing people to sell the remaining food to the government.

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8. DPRK Human Rights

Yonhap News (“U.N. EXPERT URGES N. KOREA TO GIVE HIM ACCESS TO COUNTRY”, 2005-11-10) reported that Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the DPRK, was in the ROK for an eight-day trip aimed at analyzing the human rights situation in the DPRK. “It should be recalled that while the UN Special Rapporteur wishes strongly to visit the DPRK several times, the DPRK, to date, declined to invite him into the country,” Vitit told a news conference in Seoul. “The UN Special Rapporteur calls upon the North to end the various discrepancies and transgressions concerning respect for human rights in the civil, political, economic, social and cultural fields in the country.”

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9. DPRK Red Cross Delegation

Yonhap News (“N. KOREAN RED CROSS DELEGATION ARRIVES IN SEOUL “, 2005-11-10) reported that the DPRK Red Cross delegation arrived Thursday in Seoul to attend an international Red Cross general assembly, government officials said. The DPRK delegation is to attend the 15th General Assembly of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, as well as the Council of Delegates set to begin here on Friday. The agenda for this year’s meeting includes the election of new vice presidents of the federation and the election of new member societies to the federation’s governing board, according to the organizers.

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10. DPRK Defectors in US

Yonhap News (“ALMOST 100 N. KOREAN DEFECTORS LIVE IN THE U.S.: KOREAN-AMERICAN GROUP “, 2005-11-09) reported that a total of 95 DPRK defectors have taken shelter in the US, a federation of Korean associations said Wednesday. The number includes 40 in the area of Los Angeles, 20 in New York and eight in Washington, said the California-based federation whose members came from the DPRK before or during the 1950-53 Korean War. Most defectors have struggled economically, working in restaurants or driving taxis, said the federation. “We cannot provide details about them because they are reluctant to be identified,” said Kim Ho-jung, head of the federation. “The number has increased recently.”

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11. Russian Nuclear Weapons

Xinhua (“RUSSIA KEEPS NUCLEAR DETERRENCE POTENTIAL: DEFENSE MINISTER”, 2005-11-09) reported that Russian strategic nuclear forces still maintain their deterrence potential, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Wednesday at a meeting of commanders of armed forces, which was attended by President Vladimir Putin.

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12. Bush Visit to PRC

Xinhua (“CHINA HOPES BUSH’S VISIT TO FURTHER BILATERAL TIES: FM SPOKESMAN”, 2005-11-10) reported that PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao Thursday expressed the hope that the upcoming PRC visit of the US President George W. Bush will further promote bilateral relations between the two countries.

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13. PRC-UK Bilateral Trade Relations

Japan Today (“CHINA, BRITAIN SIGN MAJOR TRADE DEALS”, 2005-11-10) reported that Britain and the PRC signed $1.3 billion worth of business deals Wednesday during a state visit to London by PRC President Hu Jintao, further boosting the rapidly growing bilateral business relationship.

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14. PRC-US Relations

The China Post (“U.S. ADVISORY PANEL URGES CHINA MILITARY, ENERGY TIES”, 2005-11-10) reported that an advisory panel is urging lawmakers to kick-start efforts at energy and military cooperation to respond more aggressively to the PRC’s dramatic rise to power. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission made 57 recommendations to Congress. The panel paid particular attention to what it saw as the PRC’s dogged quest for oil, its “methodical and accelerating military modernization” and influence in Asia.

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15. Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Xinhua (“SHANGHAI GROUP TO RELEASE LIST OF COMMON TERRORIST TARGETS”, 2005-11-09) reported that a security group led by the PRC, Russia and four central Asian countries agreed to release a list of regional terrorists and terrorist organizations. This constitutes part of the consensus reached by the six member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at a 10-day Defense and Security Forum to push regional security cooperation.

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16. PRC Religious Freedom

BBC News (“UNDERGROUND CHINESE BISHOP ‘HELD’ “, 2005-11-10) reported that the PRC authorities have arrested a bishop belonging the underground Roman Catholic Church. The Cardinal Kung Foundation said it was the eighth time in two years that the bishop had been detained.

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17. Cross-Strait Relations

The China Post (“OFFICIALS DISMISS PLANS FOR CHINA-TAIWAN TUNNEL”, 2005-11-10) reported that ambitious PRC plans to build a tunnel connecting Taiwan and the PRC pushed ahead at an academic conference in the mainland, with a tunnel between Pingtan in Fujian province and Hsinchu here the favored route — but a Taiwan official dismissed the plans as unfeasible.

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18. Taiwan International Recognition

The China Post (“TAIWAN PLAYS DOWN VATICAN DIPLOMATIC SWITCH REPORT”, 2005-11-10) reported that Foreign Affairs officials and Taiwan’s sole Roman Catholic cardinal yesterday played down a report in The Times of London which quoted Vatican and Taiwanese sources as saying the Roman Catholic state was ready to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

(return to top) Japan Today (“TAIWAN TO SEND ADVISER TO APEC SUMMIT”, 2005-11-10) reported that Taiwan said Wednesday it will dispatch President Chen Shui-bian’s economic adviser to the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, an annual meeting that excludes Taiwan’s top leader due to the rival PRC’s opposition. (return to top)

19. Japan & East Asia Security

Asahi Shimbun (“TAIWANESE PRESIDENT WANTS JAPAN TO PLAY BIGGER SECURITY ROLE IN EAST ASIA”, 2005-11-10) reported that Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian on Wednesday said Japan should shoulder a bigger responsibility in East Asia–including a larger security role–to maintain order in the region and keep the PRC in check.

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20. Japan SDF International Deployments

Yomiuri Shimbun (“SDF MAY STAY ON IN IRAQ FOR 6 MONTHS TO A YEAR”, 2005-11-10) reported that the government is considering extending the mission of the SDF stationed in Samawah, Iraq, for either six months or a year. The SDF’s mission expires on Dec. 14, 2005.

(return to top) Japan Today (“KOIZUMI TO CONSIDER EXTENDED U.N. IRAQ MISSION “, 2005-11-10) reported that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday he will take into account the UN resolution extending the Iraqi deployment of multinational forces for a year when making a decision in the near future on how much longer Japanese troops will remain involved in reconstruction efforts there. (return to top)

21. Japan-PRC Military Tensions

The Japan Times (“FIGHTERS SCRAMBLED RECORD 30 TIMES TO INTERCEPT CHINESE PLANES”, 2005-11-10) reported that Japanese fighter jets have scrambled approximately 30 times to turn away PRC planes approaching Japan’s airspace in the last seven months, more than twice the 13 times in the same period last year, officials said Wednesday.

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22. Japan-PRC Bilateral Relations

Japan Today (“KOIZUMI WANTS TO MEET CHINESE PRESIDENT IN BUSAN”, 2005-11-10) reported that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged the PRC on Wednesday to set up a bilateral meeting with PRC President Hu Jintao during a multilateral summit next week in Busan, South Korea, in a bid to mend strained bilateral ties.

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23. USFJ Realignment

Japan Today (“BUSH SEEKS OKINAWA SUPPORT ON PLAN TO RELOCATE BASE”, 2005-11-10) reported that US President George W. Bush expressed hope Tuesday that people in Okinawa will support the recent accord with Japan on a new plan to relocate the US Marine Corps Futemma Air Station within the prefecture and for moving 7,000 Marines out of Okinawa.

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24. Japan & Yasukuni Politics

The Japan Times (“ABE SUGGESTS HE’LL STILL GO TO YASUKUNI IN NEW POST”, 2005-11-10) reported that Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, a front runner to be the next prime minister, hinted Wednesday he will keep visiting the contentious Yasukuni Shrine.

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25. Japan & The Kurile Islands

ITAR-TASS (“FORMER JAPANESE RESIDENTS SEEK MORE VISA-FREE TRIPS TO KURILES”, 2005-11-10) reported that Former Japanese residents of the Southern Kuriles want that the amount of visa-free trips to the islands be expanded, the chairman of the League of Inhabitants of the Kurile and Habomai Islands said at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Thursday.

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26. Japan-Russia Peace Treaty

ITAR-TASS (“MOSCOW, TOKYO STANCES ON PEACE TREATY DIFFER CONSIDERABLY”, 2005-11-10) reported that Japanese Ambassador to Russia Issei Nomura said the stances of Japan and Russia on the problem of concluding a peace treaty “differ considerably,” but the two sides “should seek to make them closer.”

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27. Japanese WWII Legacy

The China Post (“RESEARCHERS EXCAVATING MASS GRAVE”, 2005-11-10) reported that researchers have excavated a mass grave of Japanese soldiers who perished in World War II on a remote Indonesian island. The skeletal remains, along with personal equipment such as binoculars, military food rations and weapons, were uncovered in September in a cave on the island of Wakde in Papua province.

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28. Asian Cooperation

The China Post (“BUSH ASKS CHINA, SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN TO FORGET WARTIME PAST”, 2005-11-10) reported that US President George W. Bush urged the PRC, Japan and the ROK to forget their wartime past and work together for greater regional unity and stability.

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29. Bird Flu

The China Post (“ROCHE GRANTS VIETNAM RIGHT TO PRODUCE TAMIFLU: OFFICIAL”, 2005-11-10) reported that Bird flu-hit Vietnam has reached an agreement with the Swiss manufacturer of the antiviral Tamiflu to allow the country to produce the drug starting early next year, a Health Ministry official said Wednesday.

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30. PRC Bird Flu

The International Herald Tribune (“CHINA REPORTS 2 NEW AVIAN FLU CASES”, 2005-11-10) reported that the PRC on Thursday reported two new incidents of avian flu among chickens in its northeastern province of Liaoning, bringing the total number of reported outbreaks in the past month to six.

(return to top) Xinhua (“CHINESE GOVT SENDS OPEN LETTER TO FARMERS ON BIRD FLU”, 2005-11-10) reported that the PRC’s Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday informed the country’s 800 million rural residents of the ways to prevent and control bird flu through the issuance of an open letter posted on the official website of the ministry. (return to top) Xinhua (“PREMIER WEN: SITUATION IN BIRD FLU CONTROL “SERIOUS””, 2005-11-09) reported that PRC Premier Wen Jiabao during an inspection tour of the bird flu-hit Heishan County in the northeast has called on the nation to intensify efforts to fight epidemic as efforts have failed to totally control the spread of the disease. (return to top) The China Post (“NEW BIRD FLU DEATH FEARED; WB SEEKS US$1 BIL.”, 2005-11-10) reported that according to the World Bank a flu pandemic lasting a year could cost the global economy US$800 billion. It is seeking up to US$1 billion over the next three years to control bird flu in poultry through vaccines and improved surveillance in affected nations. The Asian Development Bank also made an extra US$300 million available to fight bird flu in worst-hit countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It had already pledged US$170 million. (return to top)