Koreas agree on nuke issue

2005-06-23 14:48

Seoul - The two Koreas agreed on Thursday to seek a peaceful resolution to the North's nuclear standoff with the international community, but failed to set a date for stalled disarmament talks to resume.

"The two Koreas have agreed to take real measures for peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue through dialogue ... with the ultimate goal of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, Seoul's head delegate said.

The North has stayed away from arms talks for a year, citing "hostile" United States policies. Last week, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il said the communist state could return to the talks if it gets appropriate respect from Washington.

The top delegates from North and South appeared side-by-side at a news conference after their negotiations, a departure from previous high-level talks that normally ended with the issuing of a written statement.

In other agreements on Thursday, the South decided to give food aid to the North "on the basis of brotherly love and humanitarian" needs, according to a final statement. The details were to be discussed later.

The next round of cabinet-level talks was set for September 13-16 at the North's Mount Paektu, and another session was planned for December in South Korea.

- AP