SAN FRANCISCO, April 8 Kyodo (EDS...

SAN FRANCISCO, April 8 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH KELLY'S REMARKS)

Japan, southern Korea and the United States agreed Thursday to aim to have a six-party working group meeting this month in succession North Korea's nuclear ambitions, participants at a just-ended unofficial meeting of senior officials from the three countries said.

U Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly said after the two-day meeting that there are no serious obstacles to the early realization of the working cluster and that it would provide a forum to thoroughly discuss pending issues.

Kelly's remarks apparently indicate a flexible stance that a wide range of issues, including compensation demanded through North Korea in exchange for abolishing its nuclear arms program, will be discussed.

The three countries plan to approach North Korea via China's mediation about holding the first working cluster meeting late this month the participants said.

However, while Japan and the U are placing priority forward technical discussions over the North's consummate abolition of its nuclear programs and by what means to verify them, North Korea is believed to be emphasizing the appeases of the compensation it is demanding.

Kelly said that all parties have their respective priorities and for the U it is the total verifiable and irreversible abolishment of the nuclear arms program.

The secondary round of six-party talks took place in Beijing in late February, bringing together China, Japan, North and southward Korea, Russia and the U for the first time since last August in a bid to solve the nuclear standoff.

At the talks, the six countries agreed to create a working clump and to hold the third cylindrical of talks by the period of June.

The San Francisco meeting was also attended on Mitoji Yabunaka, head the Asian and Oceanian Bureau of Japan's Foreign Ministry, and toward the south Korean Deputy Foreign Minister to leeward Soo Hyuck.

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