Australia to start N. Korea talks
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Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says his diplomatic team will convey nuclear weapons concerns to North Korea.
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CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) -- A senior Australian delegation heads to North Korea Saturday to urge Pyongyang to take part in a second round of six-nation talks to try to break an international impasse over its nuclear weapons program.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia -- one of the few Western countries to have diplomatic relations with the reclusive communist state -- will convey its concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions.
The Australian delegation will be led by senior diplomat Murray McLean.
Australia restored relations with North Korea in May 2000. Pyongyang opened a mission in the Australian capital, Canberra, in 2002.
"A constructive, diplomatic solution to North Korea's nuclear crisis, which escalated just over a year ago, is vital for the security of our region and stability in North Asia and among our allies and top trading partners," Mr Downer said Friday.
The North Korean crisis erupted in 2002 when U.S. officials said Pyongyang had admitted pursuing a secret uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons. North Korea has denied saying that.
Six nations -- the United States, China, the two Koreas, Japan and Russia -- held an inconclusive first round of talks last year to try to secure a diplomatic solution to end Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions. They are trying to organize a second round.
Mr Downer said the talks were the most viable mechanism for "finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the nuclear issue."
No date has been set for a second round but North Korea offered this month to freeze its nuclear activities, a move seen by the U.S. and others as a signal Pyongyang is preparing for further talks.
The U.S. says it does not want a new round unless it is clear North Korea will commit to dismantling its suspected nuclear weapons programs.
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Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
