Russian Diplomat Calls for Direct Talks between US, DPRK

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, January 25, 2003

Russian Diplomat Calls for Direct Talks between US, DPRK

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A senior Russian diplomat who returned from Pyongyang this week said on Friday that the solutionto the nuclear crisis lies in direct talks between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov told reporters here that "the task at present for third-party countries, including Russia, is to try everything possible so that such a dialogue starts in the near future, maybe in the next few days."

Losyukov said DPRK officials told him they were ready for direct dialogue with the United States, with no preconditions. He said Russia is waiting to hear from Washington and also ready for face-to-face talks.

Losyukov, in his first detailed account of his Pyongyang visit,said talks in an international forum were doomed to failure. "Above all, what is needed is dialogue between the DPRK and American representatives."

Losyukov expressed optimism about his Pyongyang visit, saying the DPRK officials assured him their country was not developing nuclear weapons.

In addition, the DPRK gave a "positive" reaction to Moscow's three part proposal: nuclear-free status for the Korean peninsula,a security guarantee for the DPRK and a package of humanitarian and economic aid, he added.

Noting diplomatic efforts to solve the DPRK nuclear crisis havenot been exhausted, Losyukov said it was too premature to bring the issue to the UN Security Council.

"The issue of raising the question in the Security Council willbe considered by the DPRK as an attempt to put further pressure onthem. Especially if there is discussion of imposing some kinds of economic sanctions, that will be considered an act of war," he stressed.

Russia, which has maintained good ties with the DPRK, is playing an active role in trying to defuse the crisis over the DPRK nuclear program.

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