East Asian Leaders Call for N. Korea to Abandon Nuclear Program

Leaders of 16 Asia-Pacific countries have pledgedprominently in the talks. Meeting for the first time
to speed up economic integration, and have calledsince North Korea's October nuclear test, Mrs.
on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weaponsArroyo reiterated the leaders' call for Pyongyang
programs. The statements came at the end ofto abandon its nuclear programs.
the East Asia Summit meeting in the Philippine city"We urge North Korea to take concrete and
of Cebu, where VOA's Heda Bayron has filed thiseffective steps toward the full implementation of
report.the Joint statement of September 19 of 2005,"
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo says progressshe said.
over the past several days among leaders andIn that 2005 statement, the North pledged to end
foreign ministers from Southeast Asia and itsits nuclear programs, in exchange for economic
Asia-Pacific neighbors has bought the region aand security guarantees from the United States
step closer to full economic integration.and other countries.
Mrs. Arroyo says the Association of SoutheastJapan, South Korea and the U.S., along with China
Asian Nations, ASEAN, which held its separateand Russia, North Korea's traditional allies, have
summit meeting here Saturday and Sunday, canbeen trying for the last three years to persuade
play a key role in reaching that goal.North Korea to give up its nuclear programs.
"We can become a dynamo as the hub and coreThe last round of negotiations ended in December
of East Asia immersed in robust, open trade fromwith no progress. Pyongyang and Washington are
within the region and across the oceans," she said.at odds over financial sanctions imposed by
ASEAN wants to create a common market forWashington to halt Pyongyang's alleged
its 10 members by 2015, and eventually expandcounterfeiting and money laundering activities. The
that to include its six major regional tradingNorth Koreans want those sanctions lifted as a
partners: Japan, China, South Korea, India,precondition for any concessions on the nuclear
Australia and New Zealand. Such a bloc wouldissue.
include almost half the world's population, and aOn Monday, the Asian leaders also called on
fifth of its current world trade.Pyongyang for the first time to address the issue
On Monday, as leaders of all 16 nations gatheredof Japanese and South Koreans abducted by
in Cebu for the second annual East Asia Summit,North Korean agents over the past several
the leaders pledged to accelerate regional freedecades.
trade.The leaders agreed to cut dependence on oil and
Agreement on a wide range of issues has beento seek renewable energy supplies, at a time
reached here over the past week, from tradewhen high oil prices and rapid economic growth
and investments, to migrant workers' rights, toraise competition among Asian nations for new
cooperation on counterterrorism.energy sources.
North Korea's nuclear ambitions have featured