John Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 150: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the level of progress being made in dealing with North Korea and the proliferation of nuclear weaponry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18698/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula remains an important issue for the security and stability in the East Asia region, as well as for the wider international community. The DPRK's (North Korea) nuclear test last October was a direct contravention of the international objectives of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

Ireland continues to support the efforts of the DPRK's neighbours to work constructively to find a diplomatic solution through the Six Party Talks process, involving China, the US, Japan, Russia, as well as North and South Korea. Important progress was made in these talks with agreement on 13 February on a series of measures, including most importantly that the DPRK seal its main reactor at Yongbyon within 60 days and allow the return of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, in return for aid. Every element of the agreement must be fully implemented to further build the trust that will allow the success of the process.

I welcome the fact that IAEA inspectors have been invited back to the DPRK for talks to discuss the shutting down and sealing of the Yongbyon reactor in line with the February agreement, as well as the continued contacts between US and North Korean officials. The issue of the frozen North Korean funds at the Banco Delta Asia, following the bank's blacklisting by the US Treasury over allegations of its involvement in money-laundering and counterfeiting, appears to have been successfully resolved. The DPRK had made the return of these funds a condition for the implementation of its side of the February deal. This should no longer serve as an excuse for further delays. I trust that all sides will maintain the same commitment to the peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues, including Japanese kidnapped by the North Koreans in the 1970s and 1980s, as future rounds of the talks proceed.

On the wider issue of preventing the proliferation of nuclear weaponry, Review Conferences of the NPT take place every five years and afford an opportunity to review the implementation of the treaty and all its provisions. The next scheduled NPT Review Conference will take place in 2010 and for which a series of preparatory meetings have begun this year. Regrettably, the last Review Conference, in May of 2005, ended without agreement on how to strengthen the non-proliferation regime. I have constantly made clear that the effective implementation of all aspects of the NPT, including the nuclear weapons states' commitment to disarmament, would serve to strengthen the global non-proliferation context.