Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul Vow Security Boost

[Gloria]

4/The Japan Times, Japan Tuesday, November 30, 2004

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20041130a3.htm



TOKYO, BEIJING, SEOUL VOW SECURITY BOOST

‘Mutual Confidence-Building’ Strategy


VIENTIANE (Kyodo) Japan, China and South Korea vowed Monday to boost security and economic ties and promised to work closely on the North Korean nuclear threat. After their meeting in the Laotian capital, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun released an action strategy on trilateral cooperation.



It is aimed at following up on the first-ever joint statement that Japan, China and South Korea adopted in October 2003 to strengthen the trilateral alliance in the security and economic sectors.



(SNIP


The countries "will further strengthen close coordination to expeditiously achieve substantive progress at the six-party talks," it adds.



China, Japan, North and South Korea, Russia and the United States had agreed in June to reconvene the talks by the end of September. But the talks have been on hold mainly due to differences between Pyongyang and Washington.


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