Top > World > 2005 > July > 2005-07-19

Nuclear talks with North Korea to resume

Multi-party nuclear arms talks with North Korea will resume on July 26 in Beijing, China, after being stalled for 13 months because of the communist nation`s refusal to attend, the South Korean Foreign Ministry says. North Korea agreed earlier this month to return to the talks during the week of July 25, after being assured by the top US nuclear envoy that Washington recognised its sovereignty.

South Korea`s Foreign Ministry said the talks would convene July 26, but gave no closing date. The previous three rounds starting in 2003 lasted for several days, but failed to lead to any breakthroughs. South Korea is pressing for this round of the six-nation talks to be more flexible and last longer - possibly up to a month or more. Of course, this is assuming that North Korea permits the talks to last that long. China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States have sought at the talks to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear weapons. The nuclear crisis was sparked in late 2002 when US officials accused the North of running a secret uranium enrichment program. North Korea has since admitted to possesing nuclear weapons.

South Korea plans to "play a progressive and active role in making substantial progress at this round of six-party talks for resolution of the North Korean nuclear problem," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.