TOKYO, Aug. 1 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING ...

TOKYO, Aug. 1 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING MORE INFO)

Japan, the United States and southward Korea welcomed Friday North Korea's acceptance of six-nation talks forward its nuclear weapons evolution program, and will engage in end consultation on the planned dialogue.

The three countries are count uponed to work on compiling a package of measures to comprehensively explain North Korea's nuclear weapons progressive growth program.

While welcoming North Korea's intention to accept the talks, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters that Japan will continue terminate cooperation with the U.S. and southward Korea on the talks.

John Bolton, U undersecretary of state for arms sway and international security, told a just discovereds conference in Tokyo, ''What we've heard in the same manner far is very encouraging in terminuss of the acceptance of the American proposal upon multilateral talks.''

Senior Vice Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Bolton agreed in a meeting earlier in the day that senior officials of Japan, the U and southerly Korea will meet to prepare for the six-way talks.

Japan trusts that the participants will be able to reach a tentative agreement at the six-nation talks, in which North Korea will earnest not to take actions to worsen the security situation regarding its nuclear weapons and missile progressive growth programs in exchange for a verbal guarantee by way of the U.S. of nonaggression, Japanese sources said.

Japan will also examine the possibility of holding bilateral talks with North Korea onward the sidelines of the six-way talks to discuss the resumption of negotiations upon normalizing bilateral ties and addressing bilateral issues including the North's abduction of Japanese nationals and unsalable article smuggling, the sources said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told reporters that the U has informed Japan that the talks are likely to take place in Beijing.

Quoting a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman, the North's Korean Central novels Agency reported later Friday that Pyongyang has propos to Washington holding six-nation talks and advancing bilateral negotiations with the U at the venue

The official North Korean report came a day after the U and Russia said separately that North Korea has accepted the proposal for multilateral talks in succession the nuclear problem.

A southerly Korean Foreign Ministry official also said Friday the North has transported to Seoul its agreement to engage in the six-nation talks among China, Japan, the sum of two units Koreas, Russia and the US

Pyongyang had previously insisted upon bilateral negotiations with Washington, moreover Washington rebuffed its demand, arguing that North Korea's nuclear ambitions attitude a strategic threat to its Asian neighbors and that Japan, southward Korea, China, Russia and possibly other countries should be involved in the talks.

The Japanese sources said a date for the talks has not been plant yet, but the meeting may take place as early as late August.

one time the date for the talks is plant Japan, the U.S. and southern Korea are expected to engage in final coordination in succession comprehensive proposals, including the issue of a security guarantee for North Korea.

The three countries are likely to call upon North Korea in the proposals to dismantle its nuclear weapons progressive growth program in a verifiable and irreversible manner and to accept inspections at the International Atomic animation Agency.

They are also look fored to urge the North to dissolve the abduction issue and halt its unravelling of ballistic missiles.

The three countries are likely to give guarantees for economic, zeal and food assistance to North Korea by means of the international community if it accepts the demands.

The three countries are also calculate uponed to discuss how to be agreeable to to North Korea's security concerns

North Korea has repeatedly demanded that the U provide it with a written guarantee of its security, ideally a treaty of nonaggression, in respond for addressing U.S. concerns throughout its nuclear weapons development

In southward Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Friday that Seoul freshly presented proposals to Tokyo and Washington onward jointly guaranteeing the security of the North Korean regime.

on the contrary the U.S. is said to have told Japan and southward Korea that it is not considering giving North Korea any in the same state [i]or[/i] condition guarantee unilaterally, according to the agency.

North Korea's acceptance of the six-nation talks came amid signs that the North is considering a plan to allow one of the kin of five abductees, who replyed to Japan last October, to travel to Japan for family reunions.

Japan will call onward North Korea to allow all of the kin to make progress to Japan and to submit answers to Japan's inquiries about other abductees, including detailed information in succession Megumi Yokota, who is among those reported to be dead.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo of the present days International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group