Pat Breen
Ceist:74 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Japan made representations to the European Union regarding the activities of the North Korean regime. [9940/03]
Vol. 565 No. 1
74 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if Japan made representations to the European Union regarding the activities of the North Korean regime. [9940/03]
89 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the action the GAERC Council is taking on the potential crisis on the Korean Peninsula. [9937/03]
93 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's views on the proposal for direct bilateral talks between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States in order to deal with the security crisis on the peninsula and to gain access for international inspectors to verify that the DPRK has no nuclear weapons. [10120/03]
111 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if it is the Government's intention to establish full diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; and if not, the reasons therefor. [10119/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 74, 89, 93 and 111 together.
The Government views with concern the actions of North Korea throughout the current crisis, which began in October 2002. On 10 January, I issued a statement noting with great regret North Korea's announcement that it was withdrawing from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In view of both the gravity of the situation, and the very serious potential consequences for the wider international community of the continued refusal by North Korea to fulfil its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, the Government does not consider that this matter is solely a bilateral issue with the United States, as characterised by the Pyongyang Government. On the contrary, we regard it as a matter which affects the international community, and thus one which demands a comprehensive, multilateral solution. In this regard, I warmly welcome the fact that the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss the issue today.
75 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if the European Union General Affairs and External Relations Council has recently considered the cases of 17,000 disappeared in Bosnia-Herzegovina, many of whom were last seen in the hands of the military. [9934/03]
In view of the central role of the European Union in the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the western Balkans, the situation in the region is a permanent item on agenda for the monthly meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council. Developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the encouragement of the difficult reform process in the country, are discussed regularly at meetings of the Council. At our next meeting, on 14-15 April 2003, the Council will review the Commission's second annual report on the stabilisation and association process for the western Balkans. The report on Bosnia and Herzegovina notes that, seven years after the end of the conflict, thousands of human rights abuses, including disappearances, remain to be fully investigated, punished or redressed. It is essential for the future stability of Bosnia that the tragedy of missing victims of the conflict be addressed fully, and that those responsible for human rights abuses are brought to account. In this context, the Council continues to emphasise the need for improved levels of co-operation by all states and parties in the region with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.