Lee, Medvedev call on N. Korea to halt provocations

By Byun Duk-kun
L'AQUILA, Italy, July 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on North Korea Thursday to immediately
halt all military threats, saying the communist nation's recent missile launches
were only aggravating the situation.

The joint call came as Pyongyang test-fired seven missiles last week following a
nuclear test.
"Expressing concerns that North Korea was continuing to worsen the situation by
firing missiles following its nuclear test, the two leaders agreed it was
important for the international community to fully implement U.N. Security
Council Resolution 1874," Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said of a
summit held between Lee and his Russian counterpart.
The Security Council passed the resolution shortly after the North's second
nuclear detonation on May 25, condemning the test and imposing various sanctions
on the communist nation.
The Lee-Medvedev meeting was held here in the central Italian city of L'Aquila,
where the leaders were attending the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate.
The South Korean president arrived here late Wednesday following his two-day trip
to Poland.
Lee and the Russian president also agreed to seek five-way consultations with the
United States, Japan and China, excluding North Korea which is refusing to attend
the six-party denuclearization talks.
Seoul has been trying to arrange the consultations as a way to pressure
Pyongyang's return to the six-party negotiations. China, one of the North's
staunchest allies, has been reluctant to agree to the format as it is unwilling
to provoke Pyongyang.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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