Sophie Mirabella (Indi, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister inform the House of developments overnight in the North Korean nuclear issue?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, I thank the member for Indi. I particularly appreciate her interest in this issue. On the one hand, the government welcomes the statement that North Korea will return to the six-party talks on an unconditional basis. We have consistently maintained that the solution to the North Korean crisis is going to be a solution best brought forward through the six-party process. These talks are the best way for North Korea to get the security assurance it claims it needs for it to normalise its full relationship with the international community and to begin the task of fixing its badly broken economy.

Of course, it is not going to be sufficient for North Korea simply to return to talks. What we look for is action and solutions, and the North Koreans must move quickly to implement their commitments, which were agreed by all six parties in 2005 in the joint statement of principles. That statement of principles was an agreement to abandon North Korea’s nuclear weapons and nuclear programs and for North Korea to return to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and be covered by International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. It is important to emphasise that the agreement to resume the six-party talks—and I understand the talks are going to take place before the end of the year—does not mean that the international community, including Australia, recognises North Korea’s so-called, self-declared, nuclear status.

I also take the opportunity to congratulate China and the United States of America for their efforts to achieve a resumption of the six-party talks. We have consistently and actively supported a strongly coordinated international response to the North Korean crisis. I think the fact that there was such a strong and coordinated response, manifesting itself in two Security Council resolutions, 1695 and 1718, has been instrumental in at least getting the six-party talks process going again. But it is very important to emphasise that talks are not enough. These talks have to lead to results, and the results have to include the denuclearisation of North Korea and North Korea being subjected to international safeguards and the full regime of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.