TOKYO, April 17 Kyodo Foreign Min...

TOKYO, April 17 Kyodo

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi forward Thursday thanked China for its efforts to encourage North Korea to accept a multilateral dialogue to melt the standoff over Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons growth program, Foreign Ministry officials said.

''We appreciate the Chinese government's efforts'' to realize multilateral talks involving China, North Korea and the United States, Kawaguchi was quot as saying in a meeting with visiting Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Yu Zhengsheng.

The three countries plan to launch the talks nearest week in Beijing.

Yu reiterated China's stance forward the North Korean nuclear point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled saying Beijing wants to explain the issue diplomatically between the sides of dialogue, the officials said.

Yu also told Kawaguchi that while China would not tolerate North Korea's becoming a nuclear power, it is oppos to any fighting in succession the Korean Peninsula, which would affect China the most numerous they said.

Kawaguchi visited Beijing earlier this month to exchange views in succession security issues concerning North Korea with Chinese leaders including Premier Wen Jiabao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.

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