8 January 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today said that the Philippines welcomes the announcement by the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea (DPRK) of its willingness to freeze its nuclear program.

“The offer on Tuesday by the DPRK to suspend its nuclear power program as well as to refrain from testing or making nuclear weapons is a welcome development and a cause for optimism,” Secretary Albert said.   She added that this action by the DPRK should help increase the level of trust and confidence when six-way talks on resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula resume. “We hope that these talks resume shortly,” the Secretary said.

Secretary Albert credits this latest development on the central role played by China in brokering the six-way talks and by the continued readiness of the other participants (the DPRK, US, Russia, Japan, Republic of Korea) to engage in peaceful dialogue.

“The Philippines continues to believe that a political solution is possible and will support every effort towards this end.  We are in favor of resolving this through the six-way talks and with the support of the countries in East Asia.  It is our hope that we will be able to resolve this peacefully, without having to refer this matter to the UN Security Council,” Secretary Albert said.  The Philippines is currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

“However, if this issue does reach the Security Council, we are prepared to deal with it and to work closely with the other members of the Security Council and all interested parties in resolving this issue in a just, lasting and peaceful manner,” she added.

The Philippines has been advocating for a political solution wherein the DPRK agrees to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for appropriate security guarantees and commitments to help the DPRK join the mainstream of global trade and commerce. END.