MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE RUSSIAN
FEDERATION
DAILY NEWS BULLETIN 07.03.2003
Unofficial translation from Russian
PRESS RELEASE
On the Visit of Maurice Strong, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the DPRK, to Moscow
546-06-03-2003
Maurice Strong, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the DPRK, stayed in Moscow on March 5-6. He had meetings with Russian Deputy Foreign Ministers Alexander Losyukov and Yuri Fedotov, as well as with Yuri Brazhnikov, Deputy Minister for Civil Defense, Emergency Situations and the Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters.
The situation on the Korean Peninsula, the "DPRK nuclear problem" and possible ways of solving it were examined. In this connection the sides noted the necessity of a well-considered, balanced line of the international community, aimed at the de-escalation of tension with the activation of peaceful, politico-diplomatic means.
The Russian side has confirmed that this is the exact aim of the package solution initiative advanced by Russia, envisaging the ensuring of the nuclear-free status of the Korean Peninsula, confirmation by the DPRK of its participation in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the observance of the obligations under the agreement with the IAEA in exchange for the provision to Pyongyang of security guarantees and the resumption of economic aid to the country. It was noted that that package solution can become a real alternative to the further escalation of the situation around the DPRK, above all through the fostering of a direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.
In respect of the consideration of the "DPRK nuclear problem" in the UN Security Council the interlocutors were unanimous in the view that it is necessary to ensure its constructive character, aimed at assisting the efforts for finding politico-diplomatic solutions of the situation around the DPRK in the interest of bolstering security and stability in the Asian-Pacific region.
Maurice Strong highly assessed the weighty contribution of Russia to alleviating the humanitarian, primarily food, situation in the DPRK. There was reiterated the mutual readiness of Russia and the UN to continue practical cooperation in this sphere.
March 6, 2003
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