Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad has reiterated South Africa's commitment to the destruction of all Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

This follows the recent long-range missile testing by North Korea, which caused an uproar internationally with Japan and other countries calling for a United Nations (UN) resolution on the matter.

Pahad told reporters during a joint press briefing with the Japanese Director General for Africa Yoichi Otab in Pretoria east, today, that the Japanese delegation amongst others briefed their South African counterparts regarding the North Korean situation.

The delegation was in South Africa for the two-day 8th Session of the South Africa-Japan Partnership Forum.

"We call on a stop to the missile testing and for North Korea to return to the Six Party Dialogue P-6 grouping unconditionally because we believe this is the only platform of discussing differences and finding solutions.

“At the same time we will be calling for a stop to the missile testing because it is not conducive to creating a climate for long-term solutions to the problem.

"We will try to convince everybody, and the North Koreans too, that it is not in their interest; it's not in the interest of the region; and not in the interest of international peace and stability to open up another front of tension.

"Therefore it is best to resolve this issue within the framework of the P-6 grouping and then in the end we can begin to normalise the situation and so North Korea can begin to move out of its isolation and enjoy the benefits of the development of other countries in the region," Pahad said. He added that without that, North Korea would not be able to improve the quality of life of its people and achieve any development in the country.

Pahad will discuss the matter with his counterpart from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK) Vice Minister Kim Hyong Jun when he hosts him for bilateral political and economic discussions at the Union Buildings in Pretoria next Tuesday.

Otab said Japan would bring the North Korean matter in front of the UN Security Council and hoped that a resolution would be taken against the latter.

"We hope North Korea will agree to come back to the table of talks of the Six Party Dialogue without any conditions as soon as possible," he said, adding that he was happy that the concern raised by Japan was being "shared" by the international community.

Otab explained that some elements that Japan had put in place against North Korea included limiting the entry of certain North Korean vessels to Japanese ports as well as some of its officials from visiting Japan and putting limitations for them to visit other countries.

The forum in Pretoria focused mainly on strengthening bilateral political and economic cooperation between the two countries and their cooperation in a number of initiatives in Africa, including the promotion of peace and development.

It also afforded the delegates an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues including Africa's development, nuclear proliferation issues, cooperation in trade and industry, assistance with the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (Asgisa) and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa) and the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Cooperation in other fields such as science and technology; agriculture; health - including HIV and AIDS; gender and disabilities awareness; Nepad; the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) as well as the World Trade Organisation talks were discussed.

Both Pahad and Otab expressed mutual sentiments that the meeting was a success, paving the way for increased and intensified cooperation between their respective countries in a wide range of fields. - BuaNews