U.S. says it will continue to raise kidnapping issue with N. Koreans

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- The United States Monday said it will continue to raise the issue of North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens decades ago at multilateral talks on the communist state's denuclearization.

Danny Russel, director of the Office of Japanese Affairs at the State Department,
also supported Japan's decision not to join four other parties in providing the
North with heavy fuel oil promised under a nuclear deal.
"Their position is understandable," Russel told a news conference. "It's the
choice and policy the Japanese government has to make. They have consulted with
us throughout this process."
North Korea has said it will not deal with Japan in the six-party talks due to
its failure to do its part in the energy provision.
South Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia are to provide 200,000 tons of
heavy fuel oil each to North Korea in return for the North's disabling of its
nuclear facilities.
In lieu of Japan, the other parties are seeking an international consortium to
provide 200,000 of heavy fuel oil to keep the six-party talks going.
"The issue of abductees is very important," he said, noting U.S. negotiators have
raised the issue in conversations with North Koreans."
"It is not only an issue of importance of key allies and it's also an issue of
human rights for us and the important concerns the U.S. and Japan share," he
said.
Russel dismissed allegations that Japan is being sidelined in dealing with North
Korea's long range missile and nuclear weapons programs which are considered the
greatest threat to Japan, a former colonial ruler of the Korean Peninsula, saying
the sides fully discussed the implementation of policies on North Korea.
He expected "no great deal about the North Korean issues" under the incoming
Obama administration.
hdh@yna.co.kr
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