S. Korea eyes talks on N. Korea during nuclear security summit next year

SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Yonhap) -- On the sidelines of next year's nuclear security summit in Seoul, North Korea's nuclear weapons programs could be discussed among nations involved in the stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending the North's nuclear drive, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Monday.
South Korea will host the second Nuclear Security Summit from March 26-27 in Seoul with some 50 heads of state expected to attend. Among leaders attending the Seoul summit will be heads of five nations in the six-party talks, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
"I expect bilateral or multilateral discussions to take place on the sidelines of the summit because nations related to North Korea's nuclear issue will take part in the summit," Kim told reporters.
"Although North Korea's nuclear issue is not included in the agenda for the summit, I think that relevant nations will naturally discuss the issue during the summit," Kim said.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said in May that he will invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to the Seoul summit, but only if Pyongyang renounces its nuclear weapons programs. North Korea has apparently spurned the offer.
The six-nation talks, involving the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, have been stalled since late 2008.
In recent months, however, South Korea and the U.S. have engaged in preliminary diplomatic talks with North Korea to gauge the possibility of resuming the six-party talks.
Asked when the multilateral negotiations could restart, Kim replied, "At this stage, it is difficult to say when the six-party talks will resume."
Kim added that the possibility of restarting the six-nation talks will depend on the progress in future discussions to resolve the North's nuclear issue.
South Korean officials said world leaders at the Seoul summit are expected to discuss "practical and concrete" ways to prevent the threat of nuclear terrorism and ensure the safety of atomic energy.
Other agenda items are the securing of all vulnerable atomic materials worldwide and preventing terrorists from obtaining nuclear materials as well as detecting and intercepting the illegal trade of nuclear goods, officials here said.