China, Japan play down islands row, warn N Korea
Monday, 2 March 2009
BEIJING, Mar 1 (AFP): China and Japan played down Saturday a bitter territorial dispute and urged North Korea not to "threaten" regional peace in talks between their foreign ministers here, a Japanese official said.
Hirofumi Nakasone and Yang Jiechi, meeting as part of a drive to improve historically testy ties, agreed not to let the row over an energy-rich set of islands overshadow relations.
Both re-stated their positions over the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands, but "they agreed to make an effort so the differences in the two sides' positions do not cast a shadow on overall relations," the official said, according to Japan's Jiji Press.
The two sides also agreed to "continue monitoring the situation and maintain close contact" over nuclear-armed North Korea, which is feared to be planning a provocative missile test.
"North Korea should not carry out any acts that heighten tensions and threaten peace and safety of the region," the official said.
Japan and China are both part of a six-nation forum aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear programmes, but negotiations have repeatedly stalled.
Hirofumi Nakasone and Yang Jiechi, meeting as part of a drive to improve historically testy ties, agreed not to let the row over an energy-rich set of islands overshadow relations.
Both re-stated their positions over the Diaoyu or Senkaku islands, but "they agreed to make an effort so the differences in the two sides' positions do not cast a shadow on overall relations," the official said, according to Japan's Jiji Press.
The two sides also agreed to "continue monitoring the situation and maintain close contact" over nuclear-armed North Korea, which is feared to be planning a provocative missile test.
"North Korea should not carry out any acts that heighten tensions and threaten peace and safety of the region," the official said.
Japan and China are both part of a six-nation forum aimed at convincing North Korea to give up its nuclear programmes, but negotiations have repeatedly stalled.