アメリカは対北朝鮮戦略を人権攻撃へシフトか？

　先週「久々の「熱湯浴はアホだ」という話 」に余談とも言えないということで11月7日の国務省定例記者会見におけるやりとりを引用しましたが、中身は、アメリカが国連の人権委員会に対北朝鮮決議を上程しているちゅうよな話でした。

　国連の人権委員会のサイトではまだそういう事実を確認出来ていませんが、13日の同会見でやはりこれに関するやりとりがあります。

QUESTION: Yes. Mr. Christian Whiton, Deputy Special Envoy on Human Rights in North Korea, talk about North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 in Hong Kong yesterday. He said the act set aside $24 million to improve human rights situation in North Korea. But none of that money has yet been approved by -- approved for release by Congress, so what is your comment on that?
MR. CASEY: My comment by that is if it hasn't been approved for release by Congress, I'll let Congress speak to their reasoning as to why.

　これは国連人権委員会がどうこうという話ではありませんが、2004年にアメリカ議会下院で議決された対北朝鮮人権決議に基づく2400万ドル（≒26億円）の予算が議会で承認されていないけどどうよ？ちゅうような話です。
この質問に関してケーシー副報道官は「知らんがな！！」、当然なんですが、木で鼻を括ったような回答です。

　そして拉致問題の解決とテロ支援国家リストに関わる鋭いというか率直な質問、おそらくこれは日本人記者の質問なんでしょうが、やりとりがあります。

QUESTION: Yes, Japanese Prime Minister will visit U.S., so if one of (inaudible) issue is -- will be discuss removing the -- North Korea from the list of terrorist sponsors country, so at the time, what you're -- just U.S.'s viewpoint to -- before facing this issue?
MR. CASEY: Well, first of all, the Prime Minister is, of course, coming for a visit over at the White House and in terms of the agenda and discussions there, I'd leave it to my colleagues there to talk about that. In terms of U.S. policy with respect to North Korea's status on the list of state sponsors of terror, and you've heard Chris Hill talk about this before, this is part of the step-by-step process that has been envisioned and created through the six-party talks. Obviously, North Korea not only needs to continue to do what it's promised in terms of disabling and ultimately dismantling its nuclear program, but at the same time, there are statutory requirements that need to be met and these are things that we'll continue to work with the North Koreans on. Certainly, at the end of the day, as North Korea moves forward with disabling and dismantling its nuclear program, we will hopefully be in a position to take them off the list. But I would not, basically, offer you anything new on that beyond what Chris said during his trip out to the region, including Japan, I guess it was about 10 days ago.
QUESTION: You don't think -- dealing with the abductee issue, a condition of removing them -- you don't feel that satisfying the Japanese on that is a condition for removing North Koreans from the state sponsors list; right?
MR. CASEY: Well, the state sponsors -- how one gets on the state sponsors list is in accordance with U.S. law. And that is how North Korea can and would be removed from the list. In terms of the abductee issue, the two are not necessarily specifically linked. On the other hand, as Chris has said repeatedly, we are very sensitive to this issue for the Japanese Government. It's an important one. It's one that Chris raises every time he talks with his North Korean counterparts. And certainly, we need to see progress on that issue to be able to have the six-party process move forward. This is not a game in which one piece of the agenda can be left lagging while the others move forward. There needs to be progress on all of them. So certainly, we're very sensitive to this issue and it's one that we have talked with the Japanese about regularly and it's one, again, that we continue to raise independently even in our bilateral working group with the North Koreans and the other bilateral contacts that Chris and others have had. So I think we are very much looking for uniformed progress on these issues.

　ケーシー副報道官は、基本的には日本記者クラブにおける11月3日のヒルの会見内容、つまりテロ支援国家リストから除外するかしないかという問題はアメリカの国内法における問題であり、拉致問題とは関係ないという立場から踏み込むことはしていませんが、

On the other hand, as Chris has said repeatedly, we are very sensitive to this issue for the Japanese Government. It's an important one. It's one that Chris raises every time he talks with his North Korean counterparts. And certainly, we need to see progress on that issue to be able to have the six-party process move forward. This is not a game in which one piece of the agenda can be left lagging while the others move forward. There needs to be progress on all of them. So certainly, we're very sensitive to this issue and it's one that we have talked with the Japanese about regularly and it's one, again, that we continue to raise independently even in our bilateral working group with the North Koreans and the other bilateral contacts that Chris and others have had. So I think we are very much looking for uniformed progress on these issues.

とは言ってる。

　「very much looking for uniformed progress」の一環として古証文を甦らせようとしている、局部的にそんな動きがある、そしてそこを関心を持ってウォッチしている人達がいるそんなことなのかも知れません。

　ちなみに当該決議の調査結果の中には

(25) In addition to infringing the rights of its own citizens, the Government of North Korea has been responsible in years past for the abduction of numerous citizens of South Korea and Japan, whose condition and whereabouts remain unknown.

っと拉致問題に言及した部分があり、タイトル2には、この決議の目指す結果として

(3) fully disclosing all information regarding citizens of Japan and the Republic of Korea abducted by the Government of North Korea;
(4) allowing such abductees, along with their families, complete and genuine freedom to leave North Korea and return to the abductees original home countries;

つまり拉致問題の全面解決が掲げられているんですね。

　まあいずれにしたってお為ごかしでしかないんですが、他方我が国はといえば、昨日のフィナンシャルタイムズにこんな報道があります。

When Yasuo Fukuda, Japanese prime minister, meets George W. Bush, US president, in Washington on Friday, he will offer a slightly more conciliatory approach on North Korea and a promise to do his best to pass anti-terror legislation.

要約すれば、金曜にブッシュのところに参勤交代する福ちゃんが対北朝鮮対応でより柔軟な対応を申し出るだろうという見通しですね。

　この記事が根拠としているのは与謝野前官房長官の9月21日の定例会見、これはダメ晋三がバックレた直後の会見ですが、そこでの発言

日本政府は拉致問題が解決しなければ国会正常化しないという立場だが、核を放棄しなければ国交正常化しないのか、必ずしもそうでもないのか
「北朝鮮との間の懸案事項というのは、拉致被害者のご家族のことを考えれば、拉致問題が第１の順位に挙がってくるのは当然としても、やはり北朝鮮の核兵器、核開発能力をどうするかということも、日本の将来の安全保障を考えますと解決をしなければならないと。ただ、その枠組みとして６カ国協議があるわけですから、我々としては６カ国協議での進展、これに期待すると同時に、この枠組みの中で日本として最大限の努力、また最大限の貢献をしていかなければならないと思います」

と、そしてこれはいつの発言か分かりませんが福田総理の

"We certainly do not think that the US is engaging in its discussions over nuclear disarmament with North Korea in a lax manner. The North Korean nuclear weapons are a major threat to Japan," he said. He added that he hoped the abduction issue could be resolved at "more or less the same time", through separate discussions between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

という発言、これは単純にすげ替えでしかなく、北朝鮮の核廃棄と拉致問題はは引き替えには出来ないちゅう論旨で、その根拠は、「北の核は日本にとっても大きな脅威だ」ちゅうところですが、ここまでのことは国内でも大方の予想するところ。

　しかしさ、今回ブッシュに持っていくもう一つのお土産、無料ガソリンスタンドの継続は解散を賭けてもやるちゅう「決意」、これの代価ちゅうのはいったいなんなの？

　冒頭書いた下院決議の執行ちゅうじゃ洒落にならんしな、承認されていない予算を日本が出すちゅうんじゃもっと洒落にならんぞ。

以下2007/11/14の13:29追記。
※福田さんの発言はWashington Postのインタビューに答えた発言だったようでその部分を同紙の「Japan's Leader Cites Limits In Global Security Abilities」から引用しておきます

"We do not take exception to the substance"

。"the existence of North Korean nuclear weapons is a greater threat to Japan than to the United States. So naturally we cannot remain indifferent to that. We are, of course, greatly concerned."

　ざっくり上段が「日本政府はアメリカと北朝鮮の間における取引の内容に異議を差し挟むことはしない。」下段が「北朝鮮に書くが存在することはアメリカにとってより寧ろ日本にとって大きな脅威なのであり、それに対して無関心のままではあり得ず、我々、つまり日本政府は大いに懸念している。」こんな内容です。

　これら福田発言を扱った記事は英字紙では幾つかありますが、彼らの関心は拉致でも北朝鮮の核でもなく、我が国の政府がいわゆる「国際貢献」に憲法九条の制約をあらためてはめ直した、小泉元総理から安部前総理と継承された原則を変更した、このことに尽きますね。

参照記事
Tokyo to soften line on N Korea
Japan's Leader Cites Limits In Global Security Abilities