CHINA / National
Annan to meet President Hu, discuss Iran, N. Korea
(AP)
Updated: 2006-05-19 12:48
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to meet Chinese President Hu
Jintao on the first day of his visit to China, with North Korea, Iran and
East Asian tensions expected to be on the agenda.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivers a commemorative speech to
students during an honorary degree conferment ceremony at the University
of Tokyo May 18, 2006. Annan said on Thursday that those involved in
negotiations over Iran's nuclear crisis should tone down their rhetoric,
a day after the Iranian president slammed an EU proposal, calling it
"candy for gold". [Reuters]
Annan flew out of Tokyo on Friday morning for China to begin the third
leg of his five-nation Asian tour in which he has already spoken out on
the global stand-offs over the Iranian and North Korean nuclear issues.
With China a permanent, veto-wielding member of the United Nations
Security Council and a key player in both the Iran and North Korean
stand-offs, Annan's visit was expected to be closely watched by the
international community.
In Japan, Annan said on Thursday that better diplomacy was needed from
all sides in helping to resolve the two nuclear disputes, and warned the
world was moving mindlessly towards a situation where all nations wanted
nuclear weapons.
In a speech at the University of Tokyo, Annan said the world appeared "to
have reached a crossroads" on whether nations should restrict nuclear
weapons or feel obliged to possess them.
"The international community seems almost to be sleepwalking down the
latter path -- not by conscious choice but rather through miscalculation,
sterile debate and the paralysis of multilateral mechanisms for
confidence-building and conflict resolution," he said.
Annan urged all sides to tone down the fiery rhetoric over Iran and
negotiate face-to-face.
China has had an influential role in the Iran dispute by siding with
Russia to resist US-led efforts to introduce a UN Security Council
resolution that would legally bind Tehran to stopping its uranium
enrichment work.
China and Russia say such a resolution could heighten tensions and open
the door to a military attack on Iran -- an option that the United States
is refusing to take off the table.
China is similarly an important player in the North Korean dispute, as it
is host to the six-party talks and believed to be able to exert more
influence on Pyongyang than any other nation.
Annan called in Tokyo for a resumption of the six-nation disarmament
talks, which have stalled since November last year over objections from
Pyongyang to US financial sanctions over money laundering and counterfeit
allegations.
"There is no viable alternative to the six-party talks. The international
community must do everything possible to move the process forward and
resolve the situation peacefully," Annan said in Tokyo.
In recent days, Annan has also sought to exert some influence on Japan's
continued disputes with China and South Korea over the neighbors' wartime
histories.
"Recently, there are new tensions between Japan, China and South Korea,"
said Annan, who began his Asian tour in Seoul.
"I think there are areas all the countries can say and make gestures to
reassure and to put their past to rest and look forward to the future."
Aside from meeting with Hu on Friday afternoon, Annan is scheduled to
hold talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday. Annan will deliver
a speech at Peking University on Tuesday, the final day of his China
visit.
Annan will then travel to Vietnam and Thailand.
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