DPRK rocket plan to harm reconciliation efforts: Turkey

ANKARA - A long-range missile test planned by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for the coming days in the name of securing a "working satellite" will likely hinder international efforts for a political reconciliation in the Korean Peninsula, according to an official statement released Tuesday by Ankara.

Such a development will be not only a provocation that undermines international expectations of the DPRK for acting responsibly, but also a clear violation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.

It said Turkey actively supports international efforts against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, and attaches importance to the demilitarization of the Korean Peninsula -- which would generate welfare and stability -- and the resumption of the Six-Party Talks on the DPRK's nuclear program at the earliest convenience.

Turkey expects the DPRK to refrain from such steps as long- range missile tests, which would have negative regional and global effects, the statement added.