It is not clear when the talks are likely to reconvene. We are very disappointed that, due to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) reluctance to re-engage, it has not been possible to hold further rounds of the six-party talks since their last session in November 2005. We continue to urge the DPRK to return to the talks and make progress on implementing the commitments made in the 19 September 2005 joint statement. Following the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting in Moscow, the Chair's statement underlined the importance of the DPRK returning to the table.
Ahead of the launch of the Taepodong-2 missile/Satellite Launch Vehicle, we made clear our view to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), as did the EU, US, Japan and others that this would be seen as a provocative act, which would add considerable tension to an already complex regional situation. We strongly urge the Government of the DPRK to refrain from any further provocation and adhere to its commitments under the 1999 moratorium and the 2002 Pyongyang Declaration. We also call upon the Government of the DPRK to rejoin the six-party talks immediately to demonstrate their commitment to resolve these issues.