SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SIX-PARTY TALKS IN BEIJING, HOPES PROCESS STRENGTHENS PEACE ON KOREAN PENINSULA

SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES SIX-PARTY TALKS IN BEIJING,

HOPES PROCESS STRENGTHENS PEACE ON KOREAN PENINSULA

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the participants of the six-party talks in Beijing:

I welcome the beginning of the six-party talks in Beijing.

This is an encouraging development that offers testimony to the will of your respective governments to find a negotiated solution to the crucial problems of the region.  There is much confidence in your diplomatic skills and I wish you success in your deliberations.  I also want to assure you of my active support for your work.

I am hopeful that this process, however challenging and complicated it may be, will lead to solutions to your mutual and bilateral concerns, reducing tensions, and strengthening peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.

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