SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES AGREEMENT OF DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S

REPUBLIC OF KOREA, UNITED STATES TO RESUME SIX-PARTY TALKS

 

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

The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and United States negotiators reached in Beijing to resume the six-party talks during the last week of July.  The Secretary-General would also like to commend the intensive international efforts, including in particular China and the Republic of Korea for the constructive and tireless work undertaken by them towards this end.

The Secretary-General is strongly encouraged by the determination expressed by the participants of the six-party talks to aim for actual progress at the resumed talks, which should lead to negotiating a stable, secure and prosperous KoreanPeninsula free of nuclear weapons.  He continues to believe that dialogue, based on goodwill and mutual respect, is the way towards achieving these goals, however challenging they might be, and will continue doing everything possible in support of this work.

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