After I came to office, we discovered that North Korea
had been violating this agreement for some time by continuing work on a
covert nuclear weapons program. My administration confronted the North
Korea regime with this evidence in 2002, and the North Koreans
subsequently walked away from the 1994 agreement.
So my Administration decided to take a new approach. We brought
together other nations in the region in an effort to resolve the
situation through multilateral diplomacy. The logic behind this approach
is clear: North Korea's neighbors have the most at stake, and they are
North Korea's principal sources of food, energy, and trade, so it makes
sense to enlist them in the effort to get the North Korean regime to end
its nuclear program.
This diplomatic effort was called the Six-Party Talks, and these
talks included North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the
United States. In September of last year, these diplomatic efforts
resulted in a wide-ranging Joint Statement that offered a resolution to
the problem and a better life for the North Korean people. In this Joint
Statement, North Korea committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and
existing nuclear programs. North Korea was offered the prospect of
normalized relations with Japan and the United States, as well as
economic cooperation in energy, trade, and investment. And the United
States affirmed that we have no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula
and no intention to attack or invade North Korea.
Unfortunately, North Korea failed to act on its commitment. And with
its actions this week, the North Korean regime has once again broken its
word, provoked an international crisis, and denied its people the
opportunity for a better life. We are working for a resolution to this
crisis. Nations around the world, including our partners in the
Six-Party Talks, agree on the need for a strong United Nations Security
Council resolution that will require North Korea to dismantle its
nuclear programs. This resolution should also specify measures to
prevent North Korea from importing or exporting nuclear or missile
technologies. And it should prevent financial transactions or asset
transfers that would help North Korea develop its nuclear or missile
capabilities.
By passing such a resolution, we will send a clear message to the
North Korean regime that its actions will not be tolerated. And we will
give the nations with the closest ties to North Korea -- China and South
Korea -- a framework to use their leverage to pressure Pyongyang and
persuade its regime to change course.
As we pursue a diplomatic solution, we are also reassuring our allies
in the region that America remains committed to their security. We have
strong defense alliances with Japan and South Korea, and the United
States will meet these commitments. And in response to North Korea's
provocation, we will seek to increase our defense cooperation with our
allies, including cooperation on ballistic missile defense to protect
against North Korean aggression, and cooperation to prevent North Korea
from importing or exporting nuclear or missile technologies.
Our goals remain clear: peace and security in Northeast Asia, and a
nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. We will do what is necessary to achieve
these goals. We will support our allies in the region, we will work with
the United Nations, and together we will ensure that North Korea faces
real consequences if it continues down its current path.
Thank you for listening. |