Leaders to slam murder of Kim Jong Nam at East Asia Summit

November 8, 2017

Bangkok- Leaders from the 18 East Asia Summit member countries are expected to "denounce" the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a statement on chemical weapons to be adopted at their gathering on Tuesday, it was learned Wednesday.

The draft statement, a copy of which was obtained by Jiji Press, calls for a total ban on the use of chemical weapons.

The upcoming summit in the Philippines will bring together leaders of the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and ASEAN partners including Japan, the United States and China.

Referring to the assassination of Kim Jong Nam in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13, the draft statement says the incident involving the use of deadly nerve gas VX "posed great risk to the public safety and security."

It asks the member countries not to export goods related to biological and chemical weapons to North Korea.

According to the draft statement, the member countries will also "condemn" the chemical weapon attack with deadly sarin nerve gas in Syria on April 4.

The draft reaffirms the countries' "commitment to the principles of destruction of chemical weapons; nonproliferation of chemical weapons; assistance and protection of states threatened by the use of, or attacked by, chemical weapons, and the pursuit of chemistry for peaceful purposes." It urges countries that are not members of the Chemical Weapons Convention to join the framework at an early timing. Jiji Press