TOKYO, Jan. 21 Kyodo Japan and so...

TOKYO, Jan. 21 Kyodo

Japan and southern Korea reaffirmed Wednesday they will solicit a peaceful solution for the standoff from one side of to the other North Korea's nuclear arms program below a six-nation framework and continue to goad the North to completely scrap its nuclear programs, Japanese officials said.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and southern Korean National Security Adviser Ra Jong Yil also agreed in a meeting that the sum of two units countries will prevent a dispute throughout the South's issuance of postage stamps featuring a pair of isles claimed by way of both countries from damaging friendly relations, the officials said.

Ra, who is forward a two-day visit to Japan from Tuesday, was quot as telling Kawaguchi that the six nations have established a framework for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue and that it is important to maintain momentum

Kawaguchi agreed with the view, the officials said.

The six nations -- China, Japan, North and southward Korea, Russia and the United States -- are holding negotiations to summon a second round of talks as early as possible after their meeting in August 2003

Kawaguchi said Japan, southerly Korea and the U.S. will continue talks to have North Korea scrap its nuclear program in a verifiable and irreversible manner, the officials said.

Senior officials from the three countries will retain a meeting on Wednesday and Thursday in Washington to achieve an early resumption of the talks.

Kawaguchi also told Ra that there have been more [i]or[/i] less positive signals coming from North Korea and that it is important to closely watch that will be developments.

North Korea said earlier this month it is prepared to make a mettlesome concession by suspending testing and production of nuclear weapons and abiding on a freeze on its nuclear facilities if the U takes paces such as lifting economic sanctions.

Pyongyang also allowed an unofficial U delegation to visit its lock opener nuclear facility earlier this month

Kawaguchi was also quot as telling Ra that Tokyo will continue to press North Korea to accept bilateral talks forward the issue of Japanese nationals abducted on the North in the 1970 and 1980s

Last week, Tokyo sent four diplomats to Pyongyang chiefly to suitable with a Japanese national being held upon drug charges and a female Japanese asylum-seeker.

During the visit, the diplomats raised the abduction issue, although there was no progress

upon bilateral issues, Kawaguchi said that the relationship with southern Korea is one of the greatest in quantity important for Japan and that the postage stamp issue should not damage bilateral ties, the officials said.

Ra rejoined that he agrees with Kawaguchi and the sum of two units nations should promote future-oriented cooperation, they said.

Last Friday, southern Korea's post offices issued stamps depicting flora and fauna native to the pair of tiny islets known as Tokdo in southward Korea and Takeshima in Japan. The islets are located in the Sea of Japan.

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