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EU-US summit ends on high note

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-06 10:52

US President Barack Obama (C) attends the EU-US summit in Prague, Czech Republic, April 5, 2009. [Xinhua]

"We call on North Korea (DPRK) to honor its commitment to abandon all nuclear weapons programs, to abide by recognized norms of international relations, and to work to promote peace and stability in northeast Asia," the EU and the US said in a joint statement.

The statement, issued during the EU-US summit on Sunday, came after the DPRK successfully launched a rocket carrying a communications satellite. But the EU and the US said it was a missile.

"The launch of a missile by North Korea (DPRK) defies UN Security Council resolutions and harms peace and stability in northeast Asia," they said.

The statement warned that the latest DPRK launch "demands a response from the international community, including from the UN Security Council to demonstrate that its resolutions cannot be defied with impunity."

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On Iran, the other country which was accused by the western governments of secretly developing nuclear weapons, the EU and the United States said they want to seek engagement and constructive ties with Tehran.

But the EU and the US said there is growing concern about Iran's failure to comply with its international obligations in the nuclear area, adding they will continue to work with others on a dual track approach.

Tehran denies the accusation, saying its nuclear programs are only for peaceful means.

Earlier on Sunday, Obama said that the US missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland will go forward "as long as the threat from Iran persists."

"As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with a missile defense system that is cost-effective and proven," said Obama in its first public speech in Europe as US president.

But he also said if Iran makes concessions, the missile defense system in Europe can be removed.

"If the Iranian threat is eliminated, we will have a stronger basis for security, and the driving force for missile defense construction in Europe will be removed," he said.

In the same speech, Obama made an even bolder proposal to build a world without nuclear weapons.

"Existence of thousands of nuclear weapons is the dangerous legacy of the Cold War, and the world could be erased in a single flash of nuclear weapons," Obama said.

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