Kuwait urges North Korea to resume denuclearization talks

NEW YORK, Dec. 12 (KUNA) -- Kuwait has called on North Korea to return to the negotiating table and resume direct talks over its nuclear program.
Kuwait believes that dialogue is the best way to resolve this issue, Kuwait's Permanent Representative at the UN Security Council Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said during a UNSC session on the tension in the Korean Peninsula.
He, moreover, stressed that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea must comply fully with its international obligations, dispose of its nuclear weapons and illicit programs and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear State.
The Kuwaiti diplomat voiced support to the direct dialogue initiative undertaken by the United States and others in the region, saying that it has paid off.
Kuwait endorsed the resulting agreements which have contributed to defusing tensions, he noted.
Al-Otaibi hailed the UNSC's leading role in issuing resolutions condemning the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's illicit programs.
The council must remain united, firm and keen on the full implementation of all such resolutions while taking into account the need to facilitate the delivery of aid to people in need in North Korea.
He regretted that the atmosphere of optimism has begun to vanish after North Korea's resumption of ballistic missile tests.
"The path of talks to reach the desired goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is still long and arduous, "But we believe that the full and sincere commitment of all concerned parties and the full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions will lead to a lasting and comprehensive peace agreement in a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula," he concluded. (end) asf.ibi