Hon Phil Goff
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Media Statement
25 February 2004
Goff welcomes resumption of North Korea talks
Foreign Minister Phil Goff today welcomed the resumption of Six Party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue in
Beijing.
The original participants of the first Six Party talks, which took place in Beijing last August – the United States,
China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and North Korea – are participating in the new round of talks.
“I am glad to see the talks resume, especially after the considerable delay in bringing all parties back to the
negotiating table. I hope the talks will eventually lead to the complete and irreversible dismantling of North Korea’s
nuclear programmes," Mr Goff said.
“There are no quick or easy solutions to long-standing peace and security issues on the Korean peninsula but the
resumption of talks indicates that the key players want to resolve the matter peacefully.
“North Korea’s nuclear programmes have been of deep concern to New Zealand. We have said before that we would like to
see North Korea meet its Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) responsibilities and resume cooperation with the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as soon as possible. This remains an important objective.
“We will be following the talks closely. If North Korea demonstrates that it is committed to ending its nuclear
programmes, the international community, including New Zealand, would be willing to assist North Korea deal with its
pressing development problems,” Mr Goff said.
Earlier this month, New Zealand pledged $370,000 in humanitarian assistance to help the United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP) continue supplying emergency food aid to North Korea. Other countries assisting the WFP's work in North
Korea include the US, Australia, the EU and South Korea.
ENDS
All Phil Goff’s media releases and speeches are posted at www.beehive.govt.nz