Japan and US issue warning to Iran and North Korea

Nov 13, 2009, 11:16 GMT

   Tokyo - US President Barack Obama and the Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday warned North Korea and Iran against pursuing their nuclear weapons programmes.

A joint declaration issued after the meeting between Obama and Hatoyama in Tokyo said the nuclear efforts of both countries are a threat to international stability and peace.

The US and Japan demanded that Tehran and Pyongyang stick to their international obligations regarding their nuclear programmes.

North Korea's latest rocket and atomic tests show that it is still a threat to peace and stability in North-East Asia and to the international community, the declaration said.

It added that the latest revelations about new nuclear installations in Iran reinforced the international community's concerns about the nature of the Iranian atomic programme.

Japan and the US said they would not allow the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be further eroded.

Washington and Tokyo emphasized that they would seek solutions to the problems with North Korea and Iran through dialogue and negotiations.

Obama said after the talks that the United States was a 'Pacific nation' that placed great store on improving political and economic ties with with its partners in eastern Asia.

The alliance with Japan played a central role in this policy, he said. The US and Japan were equal partners linked by common interests and values, he added.