A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Tuesday appealed for joint efforts to restart the six-party talks, saying that patience and restraint are needed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a regular press briefing that the parties concerned should show determination, courage and wisdom, enhance contacts and narrow divarications.

"The goal of peacefully settling the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula cannot be changed. The six-party talks have been proved to be effective and all parties should move forward by following the mechanism," he said.

Asked to comment on U.S. financial restrictions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kong said this was a "complicated problem" and would bring about "complicated factors" to the six-party talks.

China hopes, he said, all parties would take the overall situation into consideration, show mutual respect and the wish for contacts and cooperation and solve relevant problems through equal consultation and dialogue to avoid "unnecessary" negative impact on the negotiation process.

The spokesman also said that the Chinese government has kept close contacts with other parties of the six-party talks.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei met with senior negotiators of the delegations of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) recently and has maintained close contacts with the DPRK, the United States and Russia through various channels, according to Kong.

The six parties -- China, DPRK, the United States, ROK, Russia and Japan -- concluded the first phase of their fifth round of talks in Beijing in November, 2005.

Source: Xinhua