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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Screw SL" data-source="post: 14748446" data-attributes="member: 455444">     Gillard set to raise Korean missile crisis in Asia talks            By                        Mark Kenny Chief Political Correspondent            April 6, 2013, 8:47 p.m.<img src="http://cdn.fairfaxregional.com.au/preview/c1200x678/silverstone-feed-data/0f14ca16-bbb6-42df-a6ef-9be490887ff9.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Julia Gillard plans to sidestep protocol to directly raise the  security crisis on the Korean peninsula on Saturday in a  speech to  Asian leaders normally confined to resolving trade, commerce and  financial differences in the region.The unusual move underscores  the seriousness with which Australia and the West  are  viewing the  tense stand-off between Kim Jong-un's secretive dictatorship in North  Korea and the US and its allies.Ms Gillard's decision to raise  the escalating crisis directly in front of  Chinese President Xi Jinping  and others follows her phone conversation on Thursday night with South  Korean  President Park Geun-hye.With threats and military  posturing reaching dangerous levels, Ms Gillard will openly condemn  North Korean aggression, sending a clear message to China that it has a  pivotal role and prime responsibility to rein in its renegade client  state.She will also use her address to emphasise Australia's key  priorities in terms of economic growth, ongoing trade liberalisation,  greater financial transparency and more extensive people-to-people  integration consistent with the main themes of the recent Australia in  the Asian Century white paper.But Fairfax Media understands she  will not skirt the issue  at the multination talks, by referring  directly to what she will characterise as North Korean aggression.In  a clear signal to the host nation for the Boao talks, Ms Gillard will  portray the actions and statements by North Korea as posing a serious  risk to regional security and a material risk to continued growth and  improving living standards.As well as explicitly revealing an  intention to use its rudimentary nuclear arsenal against its sworn  enemy, South  Korea, with whom it regards itself to be in a constant  state of war, the erratic Kim Jong-un has moved at least one and  possibly more intermediate missiles to its eastern coast in a show of  brinkmanship against Seoul, Japan and US forces in  both countries as  well as in the northern Pacific.In her talks with President Park,   Ms Gillard stressed Australia's solidarity with the south and  reinforced the importance Australia attached to South Korea's security  and to Australia's  strong bilateral partnership.She also assured  the President that Australia would continue to call on North Korea to  end its provocative actions and engage South Korea in the  "trust-building dialogue" which President Park had proposed.Saturday's  speech to Asian business and political leaders is likely to be among  the very last Ms Gillard makes internationally before the election in  September.When not addressing the potential risks of war,   Ms  Gillard will push familiar Australian topics of economic growth, clean  energy and the importance of developing human capital through improved  and more integrated education services.She also plans to tell  leaders that all countries in the region have a deep interest in  strategic stability – a pointed reference to China's potential to  positively influence events on the Korean peninsula.Arriving on  Friday night on the southern Chinese resort island of  Hainan, Ms  Gillard revealed she would be raising the issue of North  Korea's  "provocative and belligerant" actions directly with President Xi   Jinping when the pair meets for the first time officially on Sunday.She  played down fears being expresed in Seoul that there was a danger of   the US and its allies over-reacting to North Korean bluster, causing   the rogue nation's idiosyncratic leadership to lose face and  thus   making irrational military action more likely."I think the United States   is showing restraint .. a very calm and purposeful approach, I think   South Korea is showing remarkable restraint and I made that point to   President Park when I spoke to her," she told reporters.<a href="http://www.bordermail.com.au/advertise/" target="_blank">See your ad here</a>Ms  Gillard hwever conceded an ever present danger of "miscalculation" in   such situations. "There is always the risk of miscaulation when   tensions are inflamed, which is why it is very important that we all do   everything we can to get North Korea to step back from these  provocative  and beligerant statements."But in a sign of the deft  diplomatic balance needed, Ms Gillard, who is  increasingly at home on  the international stage, said China had played  its part to date and  backed UN efforts to bring the DPRK back to a  responsible position  including the application of sanctions. "The aim  here for everyone,  including China with its degree of influence over  North Korea is to put  pressure on North Korea to cease the conduct that  we've seen in recent  days. She said again called on the leader Kim  Jong-un, to accept the  invitation to return to six-party talks, and to  engage in  "trust-building" actions with Seoul.Asked about human rights in  China, Ms Gillard praised its economicgrowth  citing its record of  lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty.Human rights will  feature in Ms Gillard's bilateral meeting with the  Chinese President  with Ms Gillard undertaking to raise Tibet following a  disturbing rise  in the number of nationals self-immolating in potest at  Chinese  occupation of the tiny nation.</blockquote>

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