Foreign Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed their welcome to the recent resumption of the Six-Party Talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula in Beijing.

In a final joint communique issued Tuesday at the end of the 38th ASEAN ministerial meeting in Vientiane, the foreign ministers hoped that concerned parties could find solutions acceptable to all sides, toward a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula, on the basis of the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and equality which will contribute to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the wider Asia Pacific Region.

"ASEAN reaffirmed its support to the process and reiterated the potential role of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), as the primary forum for dialogue on peace and security issues in the region, in contributing to the momentum of finding a resolution to the Korean Peninsula issue," the ministers said.

They also welcomed the recent resumption of the inter-Korean dialogue. "In this regard, we expressed the hope that the dialogue will continue in accordance with the spirit and letter of the 15 June North-South Declaration," they said.

On Iraq, the ASEAN foreign ministers underscored that the developments in Iraq remain a cause of great concern.

"We sincerely hoped for a solution in the foreseeable future that would lead to a durable peace, security, stability and national harmony so that the Iraqi people can truly be the master of their own destiny and country," they said.

The one-day annual ASEAN ministerial meeting was attended by foreign ministers from 10-member bloc which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

Source: Xinhua