米朝協議―北朝鮮は６者合意に戻れ

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 11(IHT/Asahi: December 12,2009)
EDITORIAL: U.S.-North Korea talks.
米朝協議―北朝鮮は６者合意に戻れ

At long last, negotiations between the United States and North Korea have resumed, with the visit of the first U.S. government envoy to Pyongyang since the administration of President Barack Obama began.
　オバマ政権になって初めて米政府代表が北朝鮮を訪問し、ようやく協議の仕切り直しが始まった。

Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, met with First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's close aide who handles foreign policy.
　ボズワース北朝鮮政策特別代表が、金正日総書記の側近で外交を取り仕切る姜錫柱第１外務次官と会談した。

Returning to Seoul from Pyongyang on Thursday, Bosworth said to the effect that the United States reached a "common understanding" with North Korea on the role of the six-party talks.
　きのう平壌からソウルに戻った特別代表は、「６者協議の役割」について「北朝鮮と共通の理解に達した」と語った。

However, he also stated that further discussion is needed among the six parties about when and how North Korea would return to the table.
だが北朝鮮が６者協議にいつ、どのように復帰するかは「６者でさらなる協議が必要だ」とも述べた。

It has been a year since the six-party talks were suspended. During this time, as if to test the newly established Obama administration, Pyongyang repeatedly test-fired ballistic missiles and even conducted its second nuclear test in May.
　６者協議が途絶えてちょうど１年である。この間、北朝鮮は発足早々のオバマ政権を試すかのように、弾道ミサイルの発射実験を繰り返し、２回目の核実験まで強行した。

North Korea also openly admitted for the first time in June that it embarked on uranium enrichment tests. Furthermore, it reportedly reprocessed used nuclear fuel and extracted plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. It also declared its withdrawal from the six-party talks.
　ウラン濃縮の試験に乗り出したことも初めて公にした。使用済み核燃料を再処理し、核兵器の材料であるプルトニウムを新たに抽出したともいう。６者協議からの離脱も宣言した。

Uranium enrichment must not be tolerated. But even if North Korea tries to advance its uranium program, it would take some time before the program can become fully operational. The first priority must be to stop North Korea from resuming operations of nuclear reactors that can lead to the production of plutonium.
　ウラン濃縮は認めるわけにはいかない。だが、北朝鮮が計画を進めようとしても、本格的な活動までにまだ時間がかかるとされる。まずはプルトニウムを生む原子炉を再び稼働させないことを最優先としなければならない。

There are also suspicions that North Korea exported weapons to Africa in violation of a United Nations Security Council resolution. Surveillance for executing sanctions against Pyongyang must be strengthened.
　北朝鮮が国連安保理の制裁決議に違反してアフリカに武器を輸出した疑惑も浮上している。制裁の履行への監視も強める必要があろう。

Now that U.S.-North Korea talks have resumed, it is important not to allow Pyongyang to act selfishly and aggravate the crisis.
　米朝間の協議が再開したばかりのいま大事なのは、こうした危機を高める身勝手な行動をこれ以上、取らせないことである。

For that, we need dialogue to take root and encourage North Korea to sit down at the negotiating table of the six-party talks. Although the future of U.S.-North Korea talks remains uncertain, we urge Washington, which holds the key to the North Korean problem, and Beijing, which chairs the six-party talks, to continue their effort to persuade Pyongyang.
　そのためには対話への流れを定着させ、北朝鮮を６者協議の交渉テーブルにつかせないといけない。米朝協議の行方はまだ不透明だが、北朝鮮問題の鍵を握る米国、６者議長国の中国には引き続き説得を重ねてもらいたい。

The purpose is the complete denuclearization of North Korea.
　目的は北朝鮮の完全な非核化だ。

There are concerns over Kim's health. In addition, North Korea hopes to open its doors toward becoming "a major power" to commemorate the centennial of the birth of former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung three years from now.
　金総書記の健康不安。３年後の故金日成主席生誕１００年に「大国」への扉を開けるという目標。

Because of such time restraints, perhaps North Korea is growing impatient for achievements, such as paving the way to replace the cease-fire agreement of the Korean War with a peace accord through direct negotiations with the United States.
そうした時間の制約から、北朝鮮は米国との直接交渉で、朝鮮戦争の休戦協定から平和協定への転換の道筋をつけるなど、成果を急ぎたいかもしれない。

But what North Korea needs to understand is that the issues of a peace accord, denuclearization and normalization of diplomatic relations with the United States and Japan cannot be resolved by Washington and Pyongyang alone.
　だが、北朝鮮が心しておかねばならないのは、平和協定にせよ、非核化や米朝・日朝の国交正常化にせよ、米朝だけで解決できないという現実だ。

Such objectives have already been incorporated into the joint statement of the six-party talks four years ago. North Korea must return to that track.
　こうした目標はすべて、４年前の６者協議の共同声明にすでに盛り込まれている。北朝鮮はそのレールに戻ってこなければならない。

North Korea has staged crises to solicit kickbacks from other countries. But it must also seriously accept that Japan, the United States and South Korea have vowed not to allow a repeat of such developments.
　北朝鮮が危機を演出し、他の国が見返りを与える。過去のそんな繰り返しはしないと日米韓が強調していることも北朝鮮は重く受け止めるべきだ。

Japan, the United States, South Korea, China and Russia should not easily compromise until they can move North Korea toward denuclearization. They should put the 2005 joint statement into practice. It is vital that they further strengthen their cooperation.
　５者は安易に妥協せず北朝鮮を非核化へと動かさねばならない。そして共同声明を実行に移させる。さらなる連携強化が欠かせない。