[77Dinaartickire]

May 24, 2010

TENSIONS ON THE KOREAN PENINSULAR
US, China must act on N.Korea

BEIJING - US SECRETARY of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged China on Monday to work with the United States to coordinate a response to the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on North Korea. Opening two days of high-level US-China talks in Beijing, Clinton said North Korea must be held to account for the incident, which international investigators have determined was caused by a torpedo fired from a North Korean submarine. China is North Korea's main ally and has thus far remained neutral on the investigation.

In Seoul, South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said his country will take the case to the UN Security Council on Monday. US officials say they have more work to do to convince China that North Korea was responsible for the ship sinking. Mrs Clinton called the situation with North Korea a 'matter of urgent concern.' 'Today, we face another serious challenge provoked by the sinking of the South Korean ship. So we must work together ... to address this challenge and advance our shared objectives of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula,' she said.

'We ask North Korea to stop its provocative behavior, halt its policy of threats and belligerence toward its neighbors and take irreversible steps to fulfill its denuclearisation commitments and comply with international law,' Mrs Clinton said. She also called on China to continue work with the United States and other members of the UN Security Council to draft new sanctions on Iran to press it to come clean on its nuclear program. She said 'the burden is on Iran' to prove its nuclear program is peaceful and avert fresh penalties here.' -- AP