TOKYO, Jan. 20 Kyodo Senior offic...

TOKYO, Jan. 20 Kyodo

Senior officials from Japan, southern Korea and the United States will fitting on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington to achieve an early resumption of the six-nation talks upon the North Korean nuclear standoff, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Tuesday.

''The date for the nearest round has not been fixed...and the three nations ne to aid coordination for the talks,'' Kawaguchi told reporters.

Mitoji Yabunaka, director general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, U Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly and southerly Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister to leeward Soo Hyuck will attend the meeting, Kawaguchi said.

China, Japan, North and southerly Korea, Russia and the U had been negotiating to muster the second round of talks in mid-December, yet failed to arrange the meeting proper to differences over a joint statement to be adopted at the meeting.

Kawaguchi said that Japan, toward the south Korea and the U.S. have called for an early resumption of the talks, saying it may not be necessary to agree in succession the contents of the joint statement before the talks.

China has speaked hope for completing the statement before the talks.

The six nations are reportedly negotiating to shut in the talks in February. The first circular of talks was held in August in Beijing.

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