Murkowski Reaffirms Six-Party Talks as "Best Hope" for Achieving Nuclear-Free Korean Peninsula

MURKOWSKI REAFFIRMS SIX-PARTY TALKS AS "BEST HOPE" FOR ACHIEVING NUCLEAR-FREE KOREAN PENINSULA

Senator Commends Assistant Secretary Hill's Perseverance in Fostering Relations With East Asia

Thursday, July 20, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Lisa Murkowski, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, today offered the following comments following the full committee's hearing on U.S. policy options in North Korea.

"Next week, the international community has a valuable opportunity to bring the members of the Six-Party talks together for the first time since North Korea launched its missile test. The ASEAN Regional Forum meeting, being held in Malaysia, provides a potentially vital conduit for all of the members of the six-party talks, as well as other countries in the region, to re-engage North Korea and to encourage them to return to the discussions. The Forum also provides an important stage for us to continue to build relationships with other East Asian nations.

"I remain steadfast in my belief that the six-party talks represent our best hope for achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and, despite recent events, I continue to be hopeful that North Korea will move forward with the agreement we reached last September. I appreciate the patience and perseverance that Assistant Secretary Hill has exercised in continuing to foster relations in the region and I am hopeful that his diplomacy will help reignite meaningful dialogue amongst all parties to the table."

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=259035