General Assembly Session 62 meeting 41

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to introduce draft resolution A/62/L.4.

Mr. Pak Gil Yon (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)

I have the honour to introduce draft resolution A/62/L.4, entitled "Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula".

The inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang from 2 to 4 October 2007 witnessed the adoption of the Declaration on the Advancement of North-South Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity. The second of its kind since the year 2000, the summit provided an important opportunity to begin a new phase for peace, common prosperity and reunification on the Korean peninsula, by taking inter-Korean relations to a higher stage through the Joint Declaration of 15 June 2000 and the spirit of "by our nation itself".

The draft resolution welcomes and supports the inter-Korean summit, including its adoption of the Declaration, and encourages both sides to implement it scrupulously and in good faith. The draft also invites Member States to support and assist the current, positive process.

The adoption of the draft resolution will further contribute to the achievement of durable peace and reunification on the Korean peninsula and peace and stability in the rest of the world. Therefore, I hope that it will be adopted by consensus.

The President

I now give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea to also introduce draft resolution A/62/L.4.

Mr. Choi Young-jin (Republic of Korea)

Thank you, Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to introduce the draft resolution entitled "Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula". Issued as a document of the General Assembly under the symbol A/62/L.4, the draft resolution was jointly prepared and submitted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.

The inter-Korean summit was held from 2 to 4 October 2007 in Pyongyang, where President Roh Moo-hyun and Chairman Kim Jong Il adopted the Declaration on the Advancement of North-South Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity. While reconfirming the commitment to peace and prosperity, which are consistent with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, that unique Declaration sets forth a paradigm that is intended to have salutary effects on future inter-Korean relations. The Declaration calls for both Koreas to work towards establishing a peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and this notion is consistent with the Korean peoples' ethos, which contemplates eventual reunification. To obviate military altercations, President Roh Moo-hyun and his counterpart agreed to set up a peace zone in the West Sea and explored the feasibility of designating the area as a common fisheries zone.

At the summit, both President Roh and Chairman Kim expressed their commitment to denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. This intention is reflected unequivocally in the Declaration, which calls on both sides to implement fully the 19 September Joint Declaration and the 13 February Agreement of the Six-Party Talks, so as to resolve the nuclear issue.

In tandem with the inter-Korean summit, the most recent round of the Six-Party Talks, held in Beijing, concluded on 3 October. At these talks, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea expressed its intention to disable its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon. The dynamics of the two meetings indicate that the Six-Party Talks and inter-Korean relations are progressing in a mutually reinforcing manner. Significant progress was also made in the economic and trade area.

The Gaeseong Industrial Complex, which is located in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and employs some 18,000 local workers, will be upgraded to accommodate further investments. The creation of an additional industrial complex in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is also being contemplated. To further economic development, the Gaeseong-Sinuiju railway, and the Gaeseong-Pyongyang expressway in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will be improved for common use by both Koreas.

On the culture front, the two Koreas will cooperate closely at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Through its various provisions, the Declaration points the way forward for common prosperity, eventual peaceful reunification in the Korean peninsula and the resolution of longstanding regional concerns.

The Republic of Korea firmly believes that the inter-Korean summit and the resulting Declaration are positive developments, not only for both Koreas, but also for the international community as a whole.

It was exactly seven years ago today that the General Assembly adopted its resolution 55/11 under the same agenda item, welcoming and supporting the June 2000 inter-Korean summit and its joint declaration. I am confident that on this very special day Member States will once again demonstrate their support for advancing inter-Korean relations and peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula by adopting the draft resolution by consensus.

Mr. Salgueiro (Portugal)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union (EU). The candidate countries Turkey, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the countries of the European Free Trade Association Liechtenstein and Norway, the countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration.

The European Union is following with keen interest all efforts to reduce tension on the Korean peninsula. Accordingly, the EU supports any initiative conducive to the fostering of peace, stability and cooperation on the peninsula -- namely, the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly on peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula.

The EU fully supported the summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and General Secretary Kim Jong Il, held in Pyongyang on 2 to 4 October, as well as the outcome of this summit -- the Declaration on the Advancement of North-South Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity -- and considers that it has contributed to the reinforcement of a growing atmosphere of confidence and trust on the Korean peninsula. In turn, the EU believes that this atmosphere will contribute to efforts within the framework of the Six-Party Talks, a process fully supported by the EU, to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Furthermore, the European Union looks forward to the follow-up to this initiative, starting with the meeting between the Prime Ministers of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, which will take place in November. The EU stands ready to contribute to the process of inter-Korean dialogue, reconciliation and reunification, as called for in the draft resolution before us.

Mr. Liu Zhenmin (China)

First of all, I would like to welcome the presence of the Secretary-General at this meeting.

In October 2007, the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea held a second summit meeting and adopted the Declaration on the Advancement of North-South Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity. China welcomes this development.

Seven years ago, leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, with statesman-like vision, started North-South summit meetings, thus providing another important platform for the promotion of peace and reunification of the peninsula. This second summit between the two countries has indicated that the two sides have been working to seize this historic opportunity and start a new era of peace and prosperity for both nations.

The meeting of the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea was in line with the trend towards peace, development and cooperation in the world in the common interests of the two countries, and conducive to peace on the peninsula and peace and stability in our region.

As a friendly neighbour of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, China attaches importance to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and works towards that end. We have always advocated and supported the idea that the two sides on the peninsula should resolve their differences through dialogue, to advance the process of reconciliation continually and to achieve autonomous peace and reunification. China will, as always, work hard towards that goal.

Lastly, China supports the inclusion of the item of peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula on the agenda of the General Assembly this year, and we hope that the draft resolution proposed jointly by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea can be adopted as soon as possible.

Mr. Hoang Chi Trung (Viet Nam)

My delegation is very pleased to take part in the debate on this important item on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly.

First and foremost, we wish to thank the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea for their joint efforts in introducing draft resolution A/62/L.4, entitled "Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula".

We are all very delighted to see the two Koreas working together in the interests of peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and in the region.

The second summit meeting, held in Pyongyang from 2 to 4 October 2007 between the two leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Korea, and the Declaration on the Advancement of North-South Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity, which was adopted at the summit, are events of great historic significance. Viet Nam welcomes and highly appreciates the encouraging outcomes of these developments.

My country is convinced that this represents an important milestone in the process of improving and developing relations between the two Koreas. We firmly believe that the implementation of the outcomes of the summit and the Declaration on relations between the two Koreas will particularly contribute to promoting reconciliation, cooperation and the maintenance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region. It will also bring the Koreans closer to their long-held dreams of national reunification and prosperity.

Viet Nam will always hope for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. We consistently support the settlement of the issues relating to the Korean peninsula through dialogue and peaceful negotiations. We share the intense aspirations for peace and national reunification felt by the peoples of the North and of the South on the Korean peninsula.

Viet Nam has been following the developments on the Korean peninsula with keen interest. We urge the international community, and the United Nations in particular, to lend their strong support to the two Koreas in their efforts to give effect to the outcomes they have negotiated at the summit meeting, so that they can soon reach their common goals of national reconciliation and reunification.

As a country that enjoys good relations with both Koreas, Viet Nam is willing to contribute actively and positively to the improvement of relations between the two, as well as to the peace process on the Korean peninsula. We believe enhanced peace and stability on the Korean peninsula will further the cause of peace and security in North-East Asia, as well as in the world as a whole.

Mr. Takasu (Japan)

I would like to express Japan's strong support for the draft resolution on "Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula" (A/62/L.4). Japan welcomes the recent inter-Korean summit as a symbolic event demonstrating the deepening of dialogue between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We believe that the inter-Korean summit has contributed to further advancing inter-Korean relations, as well as to easing tension on the Korean peninsula.

Japan welcomes the Declaration on the Advancement of North-South Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity, which was signed at the inter-Korean summit. It underscores that the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have agreed to work together to implement smoothly the Joint Statement of 19 September 2005 and the 13 February 2007 agreement of the Six-Party Talks. We also welcome the commitment made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the outcome document of the Six-Party Talks issued on 3 October 2007, inter alia, to declare all nuclear programmes and to disable the three facilities at Yongbyon by the end of this year, as measures to be taken in the second phase for the implementation of the Joint Statement of 19 September 2005.

The denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is essential for the peace and stability of not only North-East Asia, but also of the entire international community. We consider it most important for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to implement these commitments fully. Japan continues to work actively towards a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue within the framework of the Six-Party Talks, with a view to comprehensively resolving outstanding issues, such as the abduction, nuclear and missile issues, settling the "unfortunate past" and realizing the normalization of relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, based on the Japan-Democratic People's Republic of Korea Pyongyang Declaration.

We sincerely hope that the adoption of the draft resolution will further promote the denuclearization process of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the resolution of other outstanding issues.

Mr. Khalilzad (United States)

The United States is pleased to support the draft resolution on "Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula" (A/62/L.4), which recognizes that dialogue and cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are essential not only for better relations on the peninsula, but also to promote peace and stability in the region and beyond. The United States has consistently encouraged such a dialogue.

We welcomed the historic inter-Korean summit that was held earlier this month and the Joint Declaration, adopted at that meeting, which outlines an ambitious agenda to improve relations and develop cooperative mechanisms on the Korean peninsula. We believe that this dialogue process is both supportive of and complementary to progress on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in the Six-Party talks.

The Joint Statement of 19 September 2005 calls for the directly related parties to negotiate a permanent peace regime on the Korean peninsula at an appropriate separate forum, a goal which is also enunciated in the inter-Korean Joint Declaration. The United States believes these discussions could begin among the directly related parties once the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has disabled its existing nuclear facilities, has provided a complete and correct declaration of all of its nuclear programmes and is clearly on the road to complete denuclearization. We can achieve a permanent peace arrangement on the Korean peninsula once the Democratic People's Republic of Korea fully discloses and abandons its nuclear weapons programme.

The United States will continue to support efforts to build better relations between the countries of North-East Asia through the Six-Party Talks and other appropriate mechanisms. We hope that the implementation of both the inter-Korean Joint Declaration and the full implementation of the Joint Statement of 19 September 2005 will lead to better relations between the two Koreas, a transformed North-East Asia, and better lives for all the people of the Korean peninsula.

Ms. Banks (New Zealand)

New Zealand welcomes the introduction of the joint resolution on "Peace, security and reunification on the Korean peninsula (A/62/L.4) to the United Nations General Assembly. This is an important record of the second inter-Korean summit and endorses its central objective of bringing peace and stability to the Korean peninsula and of laying a further foundation for eventual reunification.

The security situation on the Korean peninsula affects the entire region, including New Zealand. Therefore, New Zealand welcomed the successful completion of the second inter-Korean summit between the leaders of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The meeting between President Roh Moo-hyun and Chairman Kim Jong Il was a valuable contribution to international efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula, and it provides an important platform for more detailed discussions on a range of important security and economic issues between the two sides.

The summit builds on the recent momentum in the Six-Party Talks process and adds to an emerging atmosphere of reconciliation and open dialogue in the region, which we hope will lead to the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

New Zealand, along with the rest of the region, takes great interest in the inter-Korean dialogue, in the hope that it will serve to reinforce the growing environment of confidence and trust between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the wider international community. That is the spirit of the draft resolution to be adopted this afternoon, and we welcome it.

Mr. Alsaidi (Yemen)

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