米有力議員らに書簡?３団体会長(英文）(2008/02/25)
【英文】
（注）HonorableおよびDearの後に各議員の名前が入る。
Feb. 25, 2008
Honorable ??????___________
United States House of Representatives (or United States Senate)
Washington, D.C. 20515 (House zip code is 20510)
Dear __________________,
Last November, the delegation headed by Representative Takeo Hiranuma,
Chairman of the Japanese Diet’s Parliamentarian League, appreciated the
opportunity to meet and exchange views with you and other high-ranking
members of the Congress and Administration on the matter of North Korea.
Japan’s concerns, as you know, include the abduction of Japanese
citizens and failure to honestly account for all but the five returned
to Japanese soil in 2003, as well as North Korea’s participation in
nuclear proliferation and weapons development on its own and with other
terrorist states.
We would like to express our profound appreciation and respect to you
and your colleagues in the U.S. Congress on this occasion. It was
gratifying to find that you and other members of Congress share many of
our concerns. Thank you very much for your interest and understanding
of Japan’s concerns and your efforts to hold the State Department
accountable on North Korea. Your efforts have given us great
encouragement.
Our concerns about U.S. policy toward North Korea continue
nevertheless. Earlier this month, on February 6, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Christopher Hill testified at a hearing before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His remarks, widely reported in
Japan, quickly caught our attention.
Mr. Hill testified that the North Koreans “have begun to accept that
this [abduction of Japanese citizens] is a fundamentally important issue
for us and we are not going to leave our ally in the lurch or somehow
forget about this problem.” He also said “we will not have surprises
between us and will work in a way that we come out of this with our
relationship strengthened” [with Japan]. It is our hope and desire
that this become true, but to date, the Japanese side continues to see
no progress with North Korea on the issue of the abductions.
On the North Korean nuclear issue Mr. Hill asserted, "We cannot accept
a declaration that is incomplete or incorrect." We strongly agree, and
it is also exactly the stand we have taken with the abduction issue.
Japan cannot accept a declaration that is incomplete or incorrect
regarding whereabouts of all abductees, pure and simple.
Unfortunately, other remarks of Mr. Hill contradict the positive
statements we reference above and cause us deep apprehension.
On the matter of the relationship between delisting North Korea as a
state sponsor of terrorism and a full accounting of the abduction and
whereabouts of Japanese citizens, Mr. Hill said, “I don’t think it is
in our country’s interest or Japan’s interest or anyone’s interest to
make these hard linkages in advance.” In this, he seems not to want to
recognize that the written rationale for listing North Korea as a
sponsor of terrorism specifically includes the abduction of the Japanese
and other nationals.
This time Mr. Hill also added, "In the context of full
denuclearization we would be prepared to establish full diplomatic
relations," implying the United States’ would dispense with not only
terror country delisting card but the incentive of US-North Korea
normalized relations in process of denuclearization?not after the
resolution of the full scope of nuclear proliferation, abduction and
other terror-related activities.
Today, North Korea continues its nuclear proliferation and human
rights abuses, and its relationships with other terrorist states. The
abductions of Japanese and other foreigners are ongoing acts of
terrorism; none of the victims is free to speak for their self, contact
their families, receive Red Cross monitors, or tell us where and under
what conditions they have been living in North Korea since their
abduction.
It is very difficult for Japan to understand why the United States,
whom we regard as our close friend and ally, would remove North Korea
from the terror sponsors list and thus pave the way for international
financial aid despite the fact these issues remain unresolved. It seems
inappropriate for the United States, which has been the harbinger of the
ideals of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law, to
“normalize” relations with North Korea or remove it from the terror
list while ignoring serious outstanding terrorism and human rights
issues including the abductions.
We would like to express our gratitude to the efforts of the Congress
and many in the US Government in helping resolve the abduction issue.
We should not allow North Korea to cause a rift in the US-Japan alliance.
It is our hope that U.S. policy toward North Korea will remain firm in
demanding the true and complete accounting for all nuclear development
and proliferation, abductions of foreigners, and any other
terror-related activities, before North Korea is removed from the terror
list and relations with the United States normalized.
We look forward to further exchange and cooperation with you and your
colleagues in the U.S. Congress and thank you for your vigilance on
issues related to North Korea.
Sincerely,
Takeo Hiranuma, Chairman
Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens
Kidnapped by North Korea of (Parliament of Japan)
Shigeo Iizuka, Chairman
Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN)
Katsumi Sato, Chairman
National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea
(NARKN)
（追記）ブラウンバック上院議員の決議案については、同議員宛の書簡で、次の
ように言及した。
Thank you very much for your efforts to hold the State Department
accountable on North Korea, including your introduction of S. Res. 399,
which sets clear preconditions to the delisting of North Korea as a
terror-sponsoring state. Your efforts have given us great encouragement.
ロスレーティネン下院議員のライス国務長官宛て書簡については、同議員宛の書
簡で次のように言及した。
Thank you very much for your efforts to hold the State Department
accountable on North Korea, including your letter to Secretary Rice in
which you expressed your concern that the United States not “trade away
the abductees or other human rights questions”. Your efforts have given
us great encouragement.
（注）HonorableおよびDearの後に各議員の名前が入る。
Feb. 25, 2008
Honorable ??????___________
United States House of Representatives (or United States Senate)
Washington, D.C. 20515 (House zip code is 20510)
Dear __________________,
Last November, the delegation headed by Representative Takeo Hiranuma,
Chairman of the Japanese Diet’s Parliamentarian League, appreciated the
opportunity to meet and exchange views with you and other high-ranking
members of the Congress and Administration on the matter of North Korea.
Japan’s concerns, as you know, include the abduction of Japanese
citizens and failure to honestly account for all but the five returned
to Japanese soil in 2003, as well as North Korea’s participation in
nuclear proliferation and weapons development on its own and with other
terrorist states.
We would like to express our profound appreciation and respect to you
and your colleagues in the U.S. Congress on this occasion. It was
gratifying to find that you and other members of Congress share many of
our concerns. Thank you very much for your interest and understanding
of Japan’s concerns and your efforts to hold the State Department
accountable on North Korea. Your efforts have given us great
encouragement.
Our concerns about U.S. policy toward North Korea continue
nevertheless. Earlier this month, on February 6, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Christopher Hill testified at a hearing before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His remarks, widely reported in
Japan, quickly caught our attention.
Mr. Hill testified that the North Koreans “have begun to accept that
this [abduction of Japanese citizens] is a fundamentally important issue
for us and we are not going to leave our ally in the lurch or somehow
forget about this problem.” He also said “we will not have surprises
between us and will work in a way that we come out of this with our
relationship strengthened” [with Japan]. It is our hope and desire
that this become true, but to date, the Japanese side continues to see
no progress with North Korea on the issue of the abductions.
On the North Korean nuclear issue Mr. Hill asserted, "We cannot accept
a declaration that is incomplete or incorrect." We strongly agree, and
it is also exactly the stand we have taken with the abduction issue.
Japan cannot accept a declaration that is incomplete or incorrect
regarding whereabouts of all abductees, pure and simple.
Unfortunately, other remarks of Mr. Hill contradict the positive
statements we reference above and cause us deep apprehension.
On the matter of the relationship between delisting North Korea as a
state sponsor of terrorism and a full accounting of the abduction and
whereabouts of Japanese citizens, Mr. Hill said, “I don’t think it is
in our country’s interest or Japan’s interest or anyone’s interest to
make these hard linkages in advance.” In this, he seems not to want to
recognize that the written rationale for listing North Korea as a
sponsor of terrorism specifically includes the abduction of the Japanese
and other nationals.
This time Mr. Hill also added, "In the context of full
denuclearization we would be prepared to establish full diplomatic
relations," implying the United States’ would dispense with not only
terror country delisting card but the incentive of US-North Korea
normalized relations in process of denuclearization?not after the
resolution of the full scope of nuclear proliferation, abduction and
other terror-related activities.
Today, North Korea continues its nuclear proliferation and human
rights abuses, and its relationships with other terrorist states. The
abductions of Japanese and other foreigners are ongoing acts of
terrorism; none of the victims is free to speak for their self, contact
their families, receive Red Cross monitors, or tell us where and under
what conditions they have been living in North Korea since their
abduction.
It is very difficult for Japan to understand why the United States,
whom we regard as our close friend and ally, would remove North Korea
from the terror sponsors list and thus pave the way for international
financial aid despite the fact these issues remain unresolved. It seems
inappropriate for the United States, which has been the harbinger of the
ideals of freedom, democracy, human rights, and rule of law, to
“normalize” relations with North Korea or remove it from the terror
list while ignoring serious outstanding terrorism and human rights
issues including the abductions.
We would like to express our gratitude to the efforts of the Congress
and many in the US Government in helping resolve the abduction issue.
We should not allow North Korea to cause a rift in the US-Japan alliance.
It is our hope that U.S. policy toward North Korea will remain firm in
demanding the true and complete accounting for all nuclear development
and proliferation, abductions of foreigners, and any other
terror-related activities, before North Korea is removed from the terror
list and relations with the United States normalized.
We look forward to further exchange and cooperation with you and your
colleagues in the U.S. Congress and thank you for your vigilance on
issues related to North Korea.
Sincerely,
Takeo Hiranuma, Chairman
Parliamentarian League for Early Repatriation of Japanese Citizens
Kidnapped by North Korea of (Parliament of Japan)
Shigeo Iizuka, Chairman
Association of the Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea (AFVKN)
Katsumi Sato, Chairman
National Association for the Rescue of Japanese Kidnapped by North Korea
(NARKN)
（追記）ブラウンバック上院議員の決議案については、同議員宛の書簡で、次の
ように言及した。
Thank you very much for your efforts to hold the State Department
accountable on North Korea, including your introduction of S. Res. 399,
which sets clear preconditions to the delisting of North Korea as a
terror-sponsoring state. Your efforts have given us great encouragement.
ロスレーティネン下院議員のライス国務長官宛て書簡については、同議員宛の書
簡で次のように言及した。
Thank you very much for your efforts to hold the State Department
accountable on North Korea, including your letter to Secretary Rice in
which you expressed your concern that the United States not “trade away
the abductees or other human rights questions”. Your efforts have given
us great encouragement.
