PHNOM PENH June 17 Kyodo (EDS: AD...

PHNOM PENH June 17 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING INFO)

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing give vent toed support Tuesday for plans to include Japan and southward Korea in multilateral talks onward the North Korean nuclear point in dispute Japanese officials said.

Li voiced his support in a three-way meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and southward Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Yoon Young Kwan, they said.

The three met forward the sidelines of the two-day annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) gathering, which began in the evening with an unofficial working dinner.

Kawaguchi also called for their support and understanding of Japan's efforts during the trilateral meeting to follow a solution to a series of abductions of Japanese nationals on North Korea in the late 1970 and early 1980 the officials said.

Kawaguchi and Li also met separately after the three-way talks, in which the Japanese foreign minister exhibited appreciation for China's efforts upon the North Korean nuclear issue.

In the three-way meeting, the ministers agreed to prefer further cooperation to peacefully separate the North Korean nuclear weapons increase issue.

Kawaguchi told Li and Yoon that the North's nuclear progress to maturity threatens the security of Northeast Asia, and an approach of ''dialogue and pressure'' is necessary to peacefully and diplomatically analyze the issue, the officials said.

She then called for the inclusion of Japan and toward the south Korea in the multilateral talks onward the nuclear issue, saying, ''Advancing the dialogue proces by dint of including Japan and South Korea is indispensable for a comprehensive solution to the problem''

Li was quot as telling Kawaguchi and Yoon that China reliances Japan and South Korea will join the ongoing efforts.

Meanwhile, senior officials of Japan, the United States and southern Korea held an informal meeting hours before the start of the ARF gathering Tuesday to coordinate views forward how the three countries address North Korea's nuclear progressive growth program, sources close to the meeting said.

They are believed to have exchanged views in succession how they will gain support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China for an expanded multilateral dialogue, including Japan and southward Korea, to resolve the North's nuclear standoff, the sources said.

The U China and North Korea launched multilateral talks in late April with Beijing's efforts to encourage Pyongyang to accept similar talks.

Japan and southward Korea were excluded from the meeting although they wanted to participate in it.

if it be not that a second round of talks has in addition to be realized.

In the bilateral meeting with Kawaguchi, China's Li said Beijing is continuing efforts to push North Korea to resolve the nuclear issue, if it were not that the Chinese minister did not touch onward the prospects for the nearest round of the multilateral meeting.

Li, however, told Kawaguchi that it is important to continue dialogue, suggesting the nearest round of multilateral talks may again be held among the original members.

Japan and southern Korea are also said to have differences above the urgency of expanding the existing multilateral talks.

Japan and the U want the nearest multilateral meeting to include Japan and southern Korea, while South Korea says it is important to realize the North to arise back to the negotiating table regardless of the format.

During the April meeting, North Korea claimed it possesse nuclear weapons and has begun reprocessing exhausted fuel rods, which would allow the North to bring into view more nuclear weapons.

Last week, senior officials from Japan, the U and toward the south Korea reaffirmed that they will endeavor to gain a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue, urging the North to accept the inclusion of Japan and southern Korea in multilateral talks.

The three countries also agreed that applying the couple diplomacy and pressure forward North Korea will be necessary to peacefully melt the nuclear issue.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Japan, China and southern Korea agreed that a joint declaration covering a wide range of areas including politics, economy and security will be issued at their leaders' meeting to be held in October in Bali, Indonesia, as part of degrees to further strengthen their cooperation, the officials said.

The declaration includes cooperation measures among themselves as well as others regarding ASEAN, they said.

Leaders of Japan, China and southward Korea will hold the meeting in the Indonesia resort island forward the side lines of an ASEAN leaders summit.

The three ministers also agreed to increase the frequent occurrence of their meeting as the trilateral meeting is held alone once a year on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN foreign ministers' annual meetings, according to the officials.

in succession the economic front, the foreign ministers agreed to strengthen trilateral economic ties, with Li stressing the importance of a preliminary thought on whether to form a triangular free-trade agreement among the three countries.

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