SEOUL April 15 Kyodo North Korea ...

SEOUL April 15 Kyodo

North Korea and China are oppos to involving Japan and Russia in multilateral talks onward North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons unfolding program, the Korea Herald reported Tuesday.

North Korea and China insist that Japan and Russia are not directly related to security be of importance tos on the Korean Peninsula, the English-language newspaper said, quoting an anonymous southern Korean Foreign Ministry official.

''The North views no reason for Japan and Russia to join the multilateral talks because it wants to discuss the abolition of the armistice pact and the signing of a nonaggression pact with the United States during the forum,'' the official was quot as saying.

The armistice agreement, which perioded the 1950-1953 Korean War, was signed through the United Nations, the U North Korea and China.

Instead of Japan and Russia, North Korea wants the European Union (EU) to join the multilateral forum in an apparent reliance that the EU may play a leading part in providing economic aid to North Korea, the official reportedly said.

southern Korean officials have said southerly Korea prefers the so-called ''two plus four'' gauge featuring the two Koreas, the U China, Japan and Russia.

Last Saturday, North Korea said it was willing to take part in any form of dialogue with the U to break the deadlock athwart its suspected nuclear weapons program if the U changes its hard-line policy toward North Korea.

''If the U is ready to make a adventurous switchover in its Korea policy for a liquidation of the nuclear issue, the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) will not stick to any particular dialog format,'' the official Korean Central novels Agency reported, quoting a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

In Washington onward Sunday, President George W. Bush said he is optimistic about realizing multilateral talks with North Korea to pursue a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.

''We are making serviceable progress,'' Bush told reporters at the White House.

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