Home>News Center>World
         
 

Rice presses Japan to end beef boycott
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-19 14:02

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed Japan to end a costly boycott on U.S. beef Saturday, saying "American beef is safe."

She also offered support for Japanese membership in the U.N. Security Council as she prepared to visit South Korea, trying to take a less confrontational approach to persuading North Korea to return to international nuclear disarmament talks.

North Korea complained that Rice unfairly labeled the country an "outpost of tyranny" earlier this year and demanded an apology. Rice aims to stay out of rhetorical arguments that North Korea can use as an excuse for delay, according to officials accompanying her on a weeklong Asian trip.

Rice presses Japan to end beef boycott
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) meets Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at Iikura Annex of the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo March 19, 2005. Rice urged North Korea on Saturday to return to talks on scrapping its nuclear arms and said Washington's Asian allies could do more to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. [Reuters]
Her speech at Tokyo's Sophia University was intended as a statement of U.S. foreign policy goals in Asia and commitment to spread democratic principles, officials said.

Rice told the Japanese that their ban on U.S. beef flouts scientific agreement on beef safety and endangers broader trade that both nations value.

"The time has come to solve this problem," she said. "I want to assure you American beef is safe and we care deeply about the safety of food for the world."

Rice presses Japan to end beef boycott
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks to students after a major foreign policy speech at Sophia University in Tokyo,  March 19, 2005. [Reuters]
The Japanese ban, in response to discovery of a cow infected with mad cow disease in the United States, has become the most visible blemish on what has otherwise been an increasingly good relationship between Tokyo and Washington.

Tensions have grown in recent weeks with rising U.S. calls for quick action to resume the imports. Before the ban, Japan was American beef's most lucrative overseas market.

At a news conference later, Rice and Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura both said they discussed U.S. concerns over the ban.

"I made the point that this has gone on a long time," Rice said. "This a very, very important concern of the U.S. government."

Machimura said, however, that he could not offer any guarantee for when beef imports would resume.

As for North Korea, Rice indicated before Saturday's speech that the next move in a standoff over nuclear weapons would be up to the Pyongyang government, and she played down expectations that her visit to Asian capitals will produce a breakthrough.

North Korea pulled out of six-nation nuclear arms talks and announced last month that it has already built a nuclear weapon.

Answering questions from the audience after her speech Saturday, Rice said she knows there is some international frustration with the slow pace of North Korean talks. But she said the six-party discussions remain the best option. She rejected a suggestion that the United States might make more progress if it dealt with North Korea one-on-one.

"We bring different incentives, different leverage to North Korea, each of us ... I would be first to admit it is not easy to deal with North Korea," Rice said.

The United States has said it has no intention of attacking North Korea and that Pyongyang can have other unspecified security guarantees if it renounces nuclear weapons.

Rice said at the news conference that she would appeal for additional Chinese help in bringing the North Koreans back to the negotiating table. "We are committed to diplomacy, but I think it goes without saying that no one is just going to allow the North Koreans to go down a path" that threatens the entire region.

Concerning the U.N. Security Council, permanent membership is a long-standing Japanese goal. Rice's endorsement was the most explicit statement yet of U.S. support for Japan's request.

"Japan has earned its honorable place among the nations of the world by its own effort and by its own character," Rice said in her speech. "That is why the United States unambiguously supports a permanent seat for Japan on the United Nations Security Council."

Rice also proposed that Japan and the United States cooperate on distribution of international development aid, focusing on countries that accept their own share of responsibility.



USS Park Royal crew await for Rice
Coffin of Milosevic flew to Belgrade
Kidnapping spree in Gaza Strip
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Australia, US, Japan praise China for Asia engagement

 

   
 

Banker: China doing its best on flexible yuan

 

   
 

Hopes high for oil pipeline deal

 

   
 

Possibilities of bird flu outbreaks reduced

 

   
 

Milosevic buried after emotional farewell

 

   
 

China considers trade contracts in India

 

   
  Journalist's alleged killers held in Iraq
   
  No poisons found in Milosevic's body
   
  US, Britain, France upbeat on Iran agreement
   
  Fatah officials call for Abbas to resign
   
  Sectarian violence increases in Iraq
   
  US support for troops in Iraq hits new low
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 女人高潮被爽到呻吟在线观看| igao视频在线| h在线观看网站| 日本高清无卡码一区二区久久| 国产一区二区三区福利| 一区二区三区福利| 日本妇人成熟免费不卡片| 免费a级毛片出奶水| 六月丁香激情综合成人| 天天色影综合网| 么公的好大好深视频好爽想要| 精品日韩欧美国产一区二区| 国产精品美女久久久久AV福利| 一区二区日韩欧美| 搡女人免费的视频| 亚洲成人中文字幕| 狠狠躁夜夜躁人人爽天天不卡软件| 午夜视频1000部免费看| 色狠狠一区二区| 国产伦子系列麻豆精品| 99久久国产综合精品麻豆| 性做久久久久久蜜桃花| 久久99视频精品| 日本网址在线观看| 久久精品青草社区| 狠狠躁夜夜躁人人爽天天不| 午夜色a大片在线观看免费| 色情无码www视频无码区小黄鸭| 国产在线拍揄自揄视精品不卡| 欧美a在线观看| 在车上狠狠的吸她的奶| 一个人看的www在线观看免费| 成人欧美一区二区三区的电影| 中文版邻居的夫妇交换电影| 日本免费人成黄页在线观看视频 | 亚洲欧美一区二区三区综合| 色综合中文字幕| 日本69式xxx视频| 国产精品久久久久久久久久免费| 99在线视频精品| 天天干天天射天天爽|