China says NKorea has right to peaceful use of space

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Russia warns against 'hasty conclusions' on North Korea
North Korea's launch of a rocket is a source of concern but the world should not rush to "hasty conclusions" in deciding how to respond to it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. "As we continue to study the technical characteristics of the rocket launch, and both we and our colleagues are doing this, we should avoid any hasty conclusions," Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as telling reporters. "Clearly, the situation is not a cause of joy -- it is a cause of major concern," ITAR-TASS quoted Lavrov as saying. While the West has condemned Sunday's rocket launch and is urging tougher sanctions to punish the defiant Communist regime, Russia and China have urged restraint in reacting to the move. "We would like to look into this thoroughly and would like to use existing mechanisms such as the UN Security Council to signal our concern and at the same time to call on all sides to stick to existing agreements," Lavrov said. North Korea's long-range rocket launch disregarded months of pressure by the United States and its allies, which called the move an illegal missile test despite Pyongyang's claims that it was putting a civilian satellite into orbit. UN Security Council resolution 1718, adopted after North Korea's nuclear test in 2006, demanded that Pyongyang refrain from any further testing of ballistic missile technology. Lavrov on Tuesday said it was important to restart as soon as possible the long-running six-party talks designed to stop North Korea's nuclear programme, but which are currently stalled. "The absence of meetings in this format does not of course facilitate the strengthening of trust, the strengthening of direct concrete discussion of the problems that arise on the path to a solution of the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula," Lavrov said.

by Staff Writers
Beijing (AFP) April 7, 2009
China said Tuesday that North Korea had the right to peaceful use of space, as it refused to condemn its ally's weekend rocket launch.

In its clearest comments yet since the blast off, China's foreign ministry said the United Nations should not overreact and that the most pressing concern was to restart stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

"We hope relevant parties can maintain restraint and stay calm to safeguard overall peace and stability," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters.

"This issue also involves a country's right to peaceful use of space. We believe the (UN) Security Council should respond in a prudent way."

North Korea maintains Sunday's launch put a satellite into orbit, but the United States and its allies say nothing made it into space and the real purpose was to test the delivery vehicle, a long-range Taepodong-2 missile.

Washington and Tokyo are pushing for the Security Council to react strongly to the launch, saying it violated UN resolutions passed after Pyongyang's 2006 nuclear and missile tests, but China and Russia are aiming for a more muted response.

The council adjourned Sunday after a three-hour post-launch emergency meeting with no agreement on a response.

When asked if China condemned the launch, Jiang declined to say anything critical of North Korea, instead commenting on the importance of the six-nation talks aimed at dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programmes.

"We call on relevant parties to proceed from the standpoint of the overall interest to maintain a cool-headed calm so as to jointly safeguard the peace and stability of the region and promote the six-party talks," she said.

China is the host of the six-nation talks, which have been stalled since December last year after North Korea refused to agree on ways to verify its claims of nuclear disarmament.

The talks, which also involve the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia, began in 2003. A landmark was reached in 2007 when Pyongyang agreed to scrap its nuclear programme in exchange for energy aid.

The United States has said Sunday's launch was provocative but that it also remains focused on resuming the negotiations.

North Korea's ruling communist party newspaper Rodong Sinmun meanwhile quoted leader Kim Jong-Il expressing regret that money spent on the exercise could not have been used to help his people, many of whom are starving.

"While preparing for this proud victory, the General (Kim) felt regret that more resources could not be used for the people's livelihood but said the people would understand him," the newspaper said.

"Our hearts are rent by the General's remarks."

Analysts said available data from Sunday's launch indicated that North Korea had failed in its third attempt since 1998 to build an accurate long-range missile.

Joseph Bermudez of Jane's Information Group termed it a step back from the 1998 launch of a Taepodong-1. The only previous test of a Taepodong-2, in 2006, failed 40 seconds after lift-off.

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Security Up, Movements Restricted For Top ISRO Scientists

Chennai, India (PTI) Apr 07, 2009
Sprucing up the security for top scientists in the country following a reported threat to kidnap or assassinate them by militants, the government on Monday increased their security cover, a top ISRO official said.

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