WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
WORLD> Asia-Pacific
|
|
Clinton warns NKorea on missile launch
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-17 16:56 Those responses include a chance to normalize relations with the United States, formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War with a peace treaty to replace the current armistice, as well as energy, financial and humanitarian assistance for the North Korean people.
Clinton also vowed to keep up pressure on the North to resolve Japan's concerns about the status of Japanese citizens allegedly abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and '80s. She met with relatives of some alleged abductees in a private session at the US Embassy to promise such steps. Clinton said the United States remained firmly committed to the defense of its allies in the region, particularly Japan and South Korea, and signed an agreement with Nakasone to reduce tensions caused by the presence of US troops on Japanese soil.Under the deal, which has been in the works for years, 8,000 Marines now stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa will be moved to the US Pacific territory of Guam. There are 50,000 American troops in Japan, about 20,000 of them on Okinawa. On the financial crisis, Clinton said the United States and Japan had to work together to formulate an adequate response. "As the first and second largest economies in the world, we understand those responsibilities and we also know the importance of making sure our economies work on behalf of our own citizens," said Clinton. "It is a great responsibility that both Japan and the United States assume." Nakasone agreed. "This is a global financial and economic crisis and therefore all economic powers will need to cooperate with each other and try to resolve the issue in a concerted manner," he said. He said the Obama administration's economic stimulus bill, to be signed by the president Tuesday, was "most meaningful" with its combination of spending and tax cuts and added that Japan was looking at ways to improve its situation. Clinton's invitation to Aso to visit the White House came a day after figures showed the Japanese economy shrank at its fastest rate in 35 years and shows no signs of reversing course anytime soon. It was delivered as Aso's already battered government was dealt another blow when Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa announced he would resign due to health problems after facing allegations he was drunk at a recent economic meeting in Rome. |
