Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the EU on missile tests by DPRK

Press release 216/2006
5 July, 2006

The EU strongly condemns the provocative missile test-launches performed by the government of the DPRK. These tests, which also included long-range missile systems that can be used to deliver weapons of mass destruction, place additional strains on regional stability at a time when the unresolved nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula requires mutual confidence building. Such tests are also a matter of more general concern, due to their global proliferation implications.

The tests run counter to the spirit of the Joint Declaration adopted in the Six-Party talks in September 2005, and calls into question the sincerity of the DPRK’s stated commitment to implement this declaration. The EU urges North Korea to return to the talks without preconditions and to co-operate fully in implementing the Joint Declaration.

The EU calls upon the DPRK to contribute constructively to the resolution of grave security challenges facing the region by re-establishing the moratorium on long-range missile testing that it unilaterally observed since September 1999 until the present. The EU intends to consult others in the international community on an effective response.

The EU will continue to actively support efforts to resolve the security issues on the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.