SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES RESUMPTION OF SIX-PARTY TALKS,

HOPES FOR PROGRESS TOWARDS NUCLEAR-FREEKOREANPENINSULA

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General warmly welcomes the resumption of the six-party talks in Beijing.  He has written to the Foreign Ministers of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States and the four other participants in the talks, to commend them for breaking the impasse and for creating the current positive momentum.

The Secretary-General hopes that the resumed session will achieve substantive progress towards a nuclear-free KoreanPeninsula that is stable, secure and prosperous.  He maintains that a negotiated solution based on dialogue and goodwill is the right way to achieve these goals.

The Secretary-General will continue to work closely with the parties on this challenging set of issues.

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