Russia Calls on Pyongyang to Resume Nuclear Talks After Weapons Declaration

Moscow asked North Korea to return to the multilateral negotiating process Thursday, the day after Pyongyang announced it had built nuclear weapons and was withdrawing from the six-party framework.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said Moscow was disappointed by the announcement but still saw room for a short-term resumption of talks. He called for a compromise that took the interests of all parties into account, warning against an arms buildup, particularly a nuclear one.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice separately pressed Pyongyang to return to the table.

The six-party process, which brought together Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and North Korea, had last convened in June 2004. North Korea had since signaled it had no interest in further rounds.

Russia has long served as an informal channel between Washington and Pyongyang, a role rooted in Soviet-era ties. That leverage has narrowed since Moscow broadened trade with South Korea, the North's US-backed rival.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in February 2005, in its own words.