Secretary-General's joint press encounter with Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon of the Republic of Korea (SG's remarks only)
Press events | Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General
And I must say that in the relatively short time we've been struck by the dynamism of the Korean society. And this is a society that has risen from a war-torn society into a prosperous, democratic one. And the country that has now become a donor nation and is out to assist other countries in need.
And this morning, I had the opportunity of meeting with a group of students at the Seoul National University. I was very impressed by their dynamism, their intelligent questions, their linguistic skills. And one had a feeling that the future of this country was assured with that kind of dynamic leadership, and not only the future of this country: from the questions they asked and the way they portrayed themselves, I had the feeling we were witnessing a group of young global citizens –young people who are going to be good citizens of this country but also conscious of the world beyond.
The Foreign Minister has explained to you the issues we've discussed. Now, I do not want to go over them again. But I would like to raise several issues that we discussed. On the nuclear non-proliferation issue, both of us expressed concern and the fact that until recently we were focused on North Korea, today we also have Iran, and the international community has to take very urgent steps to deal with these issues before we have a cascade of proliferation of nuclear weapons.
We both agreed and expressed the hope that the international community will find peaceful solutions to these two conflicts. And I'm also very happy that Korea is a member of the new Human Rights Council and is going to play a role in establishing the new council, its practices and work with other countries to ensure that the Human Rights Council lives up to its expectation and will help the UN press ahead with its major human rights agenda.
I also expressed to the foreign minister my satisfaction that there has been some progress in Korean-Korean relations and that you will soon be testing a rail system and that people to people exchanges are on the increase. And I think these are very important and symbolic developments. Kamsahamneeda. (Thank you in Korean)
Q: Korea, China and Japan have been showing significant differences in their respective views of history, which has recently become a major diplomatic issue. In particular, Japan has been at odd with its neighbors in Northeast Asia over the issues of history text books and the prime minister's visit to the Yasukuni shrine, which is also causing conflict with other victims of the Pacific war. Secretary General, what is your opinion on ways to resolve this conflict among Asian countries?
SG: I think the dialogue between the three countries must continue. There is no doubt that all three countries need good relations with each other. You have established over the years very extensive networks and very extensive relationships commercial, cultural and scientific. And I think all these should continue.
I also believe that as a general rule and as a principle, one has to be truthful to history. One has to capture truthfully what happened in the past because the essence of history is not just to put on record what happens but also to be able to learn from it, to be able to educate people, and to be able to ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past, and for that to be effective and for that to happen, we need a reliable history and record of what transpired. And so as a matter of principle, we must always be truthful to history to be able to draw the right lessons and build on.
And I would encourage the nations in this region to look at the examples of other regions. Who would have thought that Europe, which went through the same experience as you did, will today have put all this behind them and you have the united Europe? A united Europe of 25 nations. I was in the Red Square in May last year when leaders came together to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the war with President Putin standing side by side with Chancellor Schroeder. President Chirac was there, President Bush was there, your president was there, and so was the Japanese prime minister. I hope it will not be long, and definitely to be in my life time, when I travel to this region, to take part in a similar ceremony. Let's look forward and make that happen.
Q: The Iranian nuclear problem is becoming more and more complicated as the United States is refusing to talk directly with Iran despite your recent recommendation. What is your outlook on the resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue? Also, here in Korea, the North Korean nuclear issue is the problem of most serious concern. But despite the adoption of the joint statement at the end of the fourth round of the six-party talks in September last year, the increasing pressure exerted by the United States towards North Korea surrounding the issues of counterfeit and human rights, it's delaying the current stalemate. How should these issues –resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue, human rights issue and counterfeit issue be prioritized for the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula?
SG: First on the Iranian issue, I am encouraged by the intensified diplomatic efforts to resolve this issue peacefully and seek a negotiated settlement. I think when the foreign ministers met in New York a week ago, they did decide to sit together and work out a package that will be a basis of fresh negotiations and I would urge Iran to cooperate with other European countries to find a solution. It is in everyone's interest that we settle this issue peacefully. And I hope that in the next few days or a week, we will have a sense of the outlines of the package and one will then begin to work with Iran to sit at the table.
With regard to the North Korean issue, I think in terms of priority, the nuclear issue is by far the most important and should be given a separate category and priority as compared with the human rights and the other activities that you refer to. So, I would urge the parties to the six-party talks not to slow their efforts but to persevere and press ahead energetically to get everybody back to the table to continue the discussions because it is only at the table where we are going to find a solution.
Q: How does the United Nations consider the North Korean kidnap problem and Japan-South Korean territorial problem? And today what kind of discussions were (inaudible) out at your talks?
SG: Kidnapping of any kind is unacceptable. And one needs to only think about the individuals involved, their loved ones, their families and the anguish under which they live, not knowing the facts of what has happened to them and it is extremely difficult to move on with their lives without knowing what has happened. So, I would urge all the abducted people to be released to their families, or explanations given as to their whereabouts and what has happened to them. And I would urge all concerned to really cooperate to make this happen. And I know that you and other countries in the region are engaged in this with the North Korean authorities and I hope they will open up and help resolve this issue.
On the question of territorial dispute, I have always encouraged governments to settle their disputes peacefully. In fact, as we speak and engage with four governments in settling border disputes, which also involves oil resources, and it's always very complicated and very difficult issue to be resolved. But I think this is something that ought to be settled peacefully and I think it can be done. And I'm relying on the wisdom and the leadership and the maturity of the leaders in the region to get that done.