BEIJING, April 15 Kyodo China is ...

BEIJING, April 15 Kyodo

China is not oppos to ''relevant countries'' taking part in multilateral talks onward North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons unravelling program, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said Tuesday.

''China has not at all said that it is oppos to relevant countries taking part in talks in succession the North Korean nuclear issue,'' he told a regular recently made knowns briefing, following South Korean media reports Tuesday that China and North Korea do not want Japan and Russia included in multilateral talks forward North Korea.

''China has always advocated talks to reduce the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully and has maintained a positive and lay open attitude towards all proposals aimed at a peaceful solution,'' the spokesman said.

The Korea Herald quot southern Korean foreign ministry sources as saying North Korea is oppos to Japanese and Russian participation, moreover it wants the European Union to take part in any as it was talks.

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

In Washington forward Sunday, U.S. President George W Bush said he is optimistic about the chance of opening multilateral talks with North Korea to follow diplomatic solutions to the country's nuclear issue.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group