BBC News:
Japan's PM has warned North Korea it faces increased international pressure after talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programme ended without a breakthrough.
Shinzo Abe reaffirmed support for the implementation of United Nations sanctions agreed after North Korea carried out nuclear tests in October.
He was speaking after six-party talks ended with no date for a resumption, despite five days of negotiations.
Pyongyang's envoy warned it was likely to bolster its nuclear arsenal.
Was it just last week that US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice called the talks 'open-ended' and said that 'these talks need to show results'?
Why, yes it was. I'm still saying that the US needs to take Japan aside and remind them that we're on the same team. Shinzo Abe's using conflict with N. Korea to bolster weak approval numbers at home. Samuel Johnson's quote, "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels," is as true in 21st century Japan as it was over 200 years ago in England. There's no reason for Japan to actually help resolve the conflict.
Tags: news | politics | North Korea | Japan | Condoleeza Rice | diplomacy | nuclear |
