Pacific Island countries call on North Korea to denuclearize

Pacific Island countries including Fiji have joined with Japan to call on North Korea to take concrete actions toward denuclearisation.

Japan hosted leaders from 14 Pacific states in a two‑day summit at the weekend, the eighth Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM).

In a joint declaration from the Fukushima summit, they urged North Korea to comply with UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile development, and to completely scrap its weapons of mass destruction.

Radio NZ reports the joint declaration also emphasised the importance of a maritime order based on the rule of law, including freedom of navigation, overflight and other internationally lawful uses of the seas.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama was at the meeting.