TURKISH STATEMENT ON NORTH KOREAN MISSILE LAUNCHES

UNCLAS ANKARA 003943 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KNNP PARM KN TU IR SUBJECT: TURKISH STATEMENT ON NORTH KOREAN MISSILE LAUNCHES REF: STATE 111144 ¶1. The Turkish MFA released the following statement on North Korea's missile launches on July 5. We will follow up with the GOT on reftel points and report septel. ¶2. Text of Turkish statement (informal Embassy translation): BEGIN TEXT July 5, 2006 We view the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's long and medium-range missile tests - conducted on July 5, 2006 despite warnings of the international community - with serious concern. After the DPRK announced that it had nuclear weapons on April 24, 2003, it is obvious that these tests - which were carried out without considering the security of its neighbors - would not contribute to genuine efforts being carried out to maintain regional peace and stability. There is no doubt that the long-range missile test of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea causes negative consequences for international peace and security. We support the endeavors of the international community, initially the United Nations Security Council, for adopting a united and determined approach on the matter. We call on the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to bring its missile program to an end as soon as possible in order to conform to the moratorium the DPRK announced on long-range missile tests in the past, to comply with the principles of the Missile Technology Control Regime, and to comply with the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation. We expect the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to resume the Six-Party Talks immediately, to fulfill its commitments stemming from the Joint Statement of September 19, 2005, and to re-open its nuclear program to the international inspection system. END TEXT Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON