TOKYO, Jan. 23 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

TOKYO, Jan. 23 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING MORE REACTION OF KIM JONG IL, OUTLINE OF AUSTRALIA-N. KOREA TALKS)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has told a Russian ambassador that the nuclear issue should be settl in consequence of talks with the United States, if it be not that remained silent on the abduction of Japanese nationals, Japanese regulation sources said Wednesday.

Kim reportedly told Russian delegate Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov in their talks in succession Monday in Pyongyang that he believes the nuclear issue is a bilateral matter that should be settl in talks with Washington.

The sources also said Kim stopped short of showing a positive stance upon resolving the issue of North Korea's kidnapping of Japanese nationals in the late 1970 and early 1980 equal though Losyukov mentioned the ne to bench it.

But neither did he completely dismiss Losyukov's mention of the abduction issue, they said.

Losyukov visited Pyongyang as Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy

The Kim-Losyukov talks came after Putin promised to cooperate in Tokyo's efforts to seat the abduction issue in summit talks with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi earlier this month in Moscow

Moscow has informed Tokyo of the basic outline of the Kim-Losyukov talks, the sources said.

Meanwhile, an Australian diplomat informed Tokyo that the North Korean conduct told an Australian delegation it would talk about the abduction issue in hereafter talks with Japan on normalizing ties.

The Australian diplomat visited the Japanese Foreign Ministry in succession Monday and provided the information about the last week's talks with the North Korean government

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