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Powell Says China Eager
to Help on North Korea Problem, Seeks Chinese Help on Iraq
By George Gedda Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 24, 2003
BEIJING (AP) - Chinese officials rejected Secretary of State Colin Powell's appeal Monday
for a regional approach to the North Korean nuclear standoff and called for direct talks
between the United States and Pyongyang to resolve concerns over the communist nation's
nuclear weapons programs.
On Iraq, Powell urged Chinese support for a second U.N. Security Council resolution that
would authorize military action if President Saddam Hussein refuses to disarm, but the
Chinese stood by their longstanding position that U.N. inspections should continue. It was
not clear whether China would exercise its veto power if a second resolution is voted on
by the Council.
North Korea and Iraq dominated separate meetings Powell held with Foreign Minister Tang
Jiaxuan, Vice President Hu Jintao and President Jiang Zemin.
A resolution on Iraq backed by the United States and Britain was to be introduced Monday.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said it would be "very short and to the
point," and that President Bush expects a vote on it soon. Fleischer would not offer
a deadline for a vote.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said the council would vote on the
resolution by mid-March. Fleischer said "that's not a bad estimate."
Vice President Dick Cheney and Deputy Secetary of State Richard Armitage were meeting
Monday in Washington with Angela Merkel, the head of the Christian Democrats and a
possible German ally on Iraq.
Merkel has said that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder made a mistake by ruling force
out, and she believes that with force as an option, Saddam may be more prone to cooperate.
On North Korea, Chinese state television quoted Tang as saying that China hopes for talks
on the nuclear issue between the United States and North Korea "on an equal
basis."
The Chinese state news agency Xinhua, meanwhile, reported that Hu made the same point and
said U.S. talks with North Korea should begin as soon as possible.
Powell told an afternoon news conference that China is eager to play a positive role in
helping to resolve concerns about Pyongyang's weapons programs. He added that China was
undertaking initiatives with North Korea that he was unable to discuss publicly.
After his discussions here, Powell flew to South Korea to attend the inauguration Tuesday
of President-elect Roh Moo-Hyun. Roh also has advocated direct talks between Washington
and Pyongyang to resolve the weapons issue.
Powell has said direct talks with North Korea are possible so long as they are limited to
a conversation on what Pyongyang must to do comply with its international obligations.
He said the United States feels strongly that "North Korea's actions pose a threat to
regional stability and to the global non-proliferation regime.
"I cannot emphasize how seriously all of us would view any move toward reprocessing
of the spent fuel and the production of nuclear weapons."
Powell said Japan backs the U.S. insistence on a regional approach to the issue. He also
noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency agreed earlier this month in a
near-unanimous vote by member states to refer the issue to the U.S. Security Council.
But an administration official said last week that strong action by the Council is not
likely because of opposition by Russia.
China is the chief provider of foreign assistance to North Korea. Privately,
administration officials have said China has not used all the leverage it has to induce
North Korea to curb its nuclear ambitions.
Powell told reporters the administration has seen a deterioration in the human rights
situation in China.
Since December, he said the United States has been "deeply concerned by the execution
of a prominent Tibetan, the detention of more than a dozen pro-democracy activists and the
continuation of a pattern of inconsistent and irregular legal and judicial
procedures."
AP-ES-02-24-03 1456EST
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