S. Korean PM supports six-party talks to denuclearize North

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo on Tuesday
expressed concerns over North Korea's nuclear ambitions and emphasized the role
of six-party talks in disarming the communist neighbor.

"The implications of North Korea's nuclear test are not confined to the Korean
Peninsula alone," Han said in an opening remark at the Special Meeting of the
Council of Presidents of the General Assembly of the United Nations, being held
in Seoul. "It is raising tension in Northeast Asia and across the globe."
The council, composed of former presidents of the U.N. General Assembly, was
formed in 1997 and holds annual sessions in New York along with special meetings
in other cities. Han served as a chairman of the U.N. General Assembly between
2001 and 2002.
Following North Korea's underground nuclear test last month, its second ever, the
U.N. Security Council adopted Resolution 1874, strengthening an arms embargo and
calling for ship inspections.
"I believe this council also should express its full support to the efforts of
the Security Council in responding to the situation and reaffirming that the
six-party talks continue to be the main framework for resolving the North Korean
issue," Han said.
The multinational talks -- joined by the two Koreas, U.S., Japan, China, and
Russia -- are aimed at ending the North's nuclear program. They have been stalled
since late last year due to a disagreement over how to verify Pyongyang's nuclear
declaration.
Following a U.N. condemnation of its April rocket launch, North Korea said it
would "never" rejoin the talks.
During the council meeting, which ends on Wednesday, U.N. millennium development
goals, the financial crisis and climate change will be high on the agenda. The
council is expected to issue a "Seoul Statement" following the meeting's
conclusion, according to South Korea's foreign ministry.
brk@yna.co.kr
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