Tokyo(December 14, 2017): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed their determination to keep up the pressure on North Korea to rid the country of its nuclear weapons.
In his first trip to Japan as secretary-general of the world body, Guterres met with Abe for over an hour at the prime minister’s office.
“It is very clear that the Security Council resolutions need to be fully implemented by North Korea first of all, but also by all the other countries, whose roles are crucial in order to make sure that the sanctions are put in place,” Guterres said in an oblique reference to China. He also warned: “The worst possible thing that could happen would be for us all to slip into a war.”
“We fully agreed that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is indispensable to regional peace and stability,” Abe said. “I stated that together we should put forth a powerful message, conducive to reinforcing pressure from the ministerial level meeting of the Security Council to be held tomorrow.”
The two leaders also discussed North Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens. “We want to express our total condemnation in relation to abductions that took place,” Guterres said. “I was pleased to share with the secretary-general the importance of an early resolution of the abduction issue,” Abe added.
The meeting was held soon after U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman made a four-day visit to Pyongyang. The U.N. is believed to have briefed Japanese officials regarding its mission to North Korea.
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