ASEAN leaders reiterate call for denuclearization of Korean Peninsula: draft Chairman statement

November 13, 2017

The leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Monday have expressed "grave concern" over North Korea's nuclear weapons program and reiterated their call for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

This was contained in the draft statement of President Rodrigo Duterte, chairman of the ASEAN.

"We expressed grave concern over the DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) ongoing development of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear and chemical weapons, and ballistic missile technologies, which are in contravention of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions," the chairman's draft statement said.

It said that the developments in the Korean Peninsula have seriously threatened peace and stability of the region.

ASEAN strongly urged North Korea to "fully and immediately comply" with its obligations arising from all the relevant UNSC Resolutions.

"We reiterated our support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner and called for the exercise of self-restraint and the resumption of dialogue in order to de-escalate tensions and create conditions conducive to peace and stability," the statement said.

During the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings in Manila last August, DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho attended the gathering.

But despite the call of the foreign ministers for North Korea to denuclearize, Ri even defended his government's nuclear program, saying it was a "war deterrence" against the US.

He had said DPRK was the only country in the world which was "transparent" in developing and completing the nukes and rockets.

"We have no intention to use nuclear weapons or threaten with nuclear weapons against any other country except the US, unless it joins military action of the US against the DPRK," Ri had said. Celerina Monte/DMS