JAPAN/NORTH KOREA: DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 003812

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2016
TAGS: KNNP PREL PARM UNSC IAEA JA NK
SUBJECT: JAPAN/NORTH KOREA: DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER
YABUNAKA PROPOSES TARGETED SANCTIONS, RUSSIA OPPOSED.

REF: STATE 110160

Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer for reasons 1.4(b) and (d
).


1. (C) In the course of a July 7, 2006 meeting to discuss
reftel demarche, Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yabunaka
told Ambassador Schieffer and Russian Ambassador Alexander
Losyukov that the United Nations must send a strong, clear
and united message that North Korea's recent launching of
several ballistic missiles will not be tolerated in the form
of a strongly worded resolution that includes limited and
targeted sanctions. Russian support for such a resolution is
critical; Japan also is lobbying other G8 nations to support
the resolution, according to Yabunaka. Ambassador Losyukov
agreed that the United Nations must take some sort of action
but argued that sanctions likely would result in the end of
the Six Party Talks. The six parties involved must maintain
a dialogue; to that end, diplomatic pressure should be
gradual and not include comprehensive sanctions, according to
Ambassador Losyukov.


2. (C) Yabunaka told Ambassador Losyukov that division among
the G8 members and United Nations Security Council members
would weaken the collective effort to penalize North Korea.
Noting that there are many different options available under
Chapter VII and that Russia already has condemned the missile
launches, Yabunaka argued that any resolution, in addition to
limited sanctions, must call on North Korea to return to the
Six Party Talks for more negotiations. Ambassador Losyukov
told Yabunaka that it is difficult to comment on whether
sanctions are appropriate without understanding the possible
implications for that course of action.


3. (C) Pointing out that North Korea carried out the
launches despite clear warnings from the international
community, Ambassador Schieffer emphasized that the
international community must act now in order to demonstrate
to North Korea that bad behavior will not go unpunished.
Ambassador Schieffer also told Yabunaka and Ambassador
Losyukov that we must break the cycle of brinkmanship
diplomacy by showing North Korea there are real penalties for
its behavior.


4. (C) North Korea would be unlikely to return to the Six
Party Talks if sanctions are imposed, resulting in North
Korea becoming further isolated, according to Ambassador
Losyukov. He added that the international community stands
to lose all of its levers of influence with the North other
than force or the threat of force. Yabunaka explained that
Japan favors limited sanctions targeted against North Korea's
ballistic missile and WMD programs, such as the export of
sensitive equipment. Ambassador Losyukov pointed out that
the Missile Technology Control Regime already targets those
items and questioned why a United Nations resolution is
needed to duplicate that effort. Yabunaka and Ambassadors
Schieffer and Losyukov agreed that further discussions
between the nations involved were needed urgently to reach a
consensus on an effective response to North Korea's actions.
SCHIEFFER