UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the international community must take ``very urgent steps'' to deal with the dual problems of North Korea and Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Annan, speaking before a meeting with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday, urged all parties to stalled six-nation talks on North Korea's programs to resume them, saying human rights and other topics should not be allowed to block the discussions.
``The nuclear issue is by far the most important and should be given a separate category and priority as compared with human rights and other activities,'' Annan told reporters on Monday after meeting the South's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon in Seoul.
The talks have been stalled since November because of a dispute between the North and the US about financial sanctions imposed by Washington for alleged illegal activities by the communist country, such as counterfeiting.
The North has refused to rejoin the talks, which also involve China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, until the US lifts the sanctions.
Washington says North Korea should return to the talks without conditions, and has tried to increase pressure on the North by citing its poor human rights record.
``I would urge the parties to the six-party talks not to slow their efforts but to persevere and press ahead strategically to get everybody back to the table to continue discussion,'' Annan said.
The world's top diplomat also urged Iran to work with European countries to settle the dispute about the Middle East country's nuclear plans.
``Until recently we were focused on North Korea. Today we also have Iran,'' Annan said. ``The international community has to take very urgent steps to deal with these issues.''
The comments came as Washington seeks support for a tough resolution in the UN Security Council to declare Iran a threat to world peace and subject it to sanctions or even military action.
EU nations are trying to persuade Iran to accept international oversight of its civilian nuclear program to make sure it is not used to produce weapons.
Tehran has repeatedly asserted its nuclear program is aimed at generating power.
Annan met Roh yesterday and expressed hope for stronger cooperation between South Korea and the UN
``This special relationship has served us well,'' Annan said during a luncheon hosted by Roh. ``I hope as we move into the future we are going to deepen even further our relationship.''
South Korea was Annan's first stop on a visit to several Asian countries for meetings with top officials.
He was due to travel to Japan yesterday, before visiting China and Vietnam.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
IN PURSUIT: Israel’s defense minister said the revenge attacks by Israeli settlers would make it difficult for security forces to find those responsible for the 14-year-old’s death Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday condemned the “heinous murder” of an Israeli teenager in the occupied West Bank as attacks on Palestinian villages intensified following news of his death. After Benjamin Achimeir, 14, was reported missing near Ramallah on Friday, hundreds of Jewish settlers backed by Israeli forces raided nearby Palestinian villages, torching vehicles and homes, leaving at least one villager dead and dozens wounded. The attacks escalated in several villages on Saturday after Achimeir’s body was found near the Malachi Hashalom outpost. Agence France-Presse correspondents saw smoke rising from burned houses and fields. Mayor Amin Abu Alyah, of the