TOKYO, Jan. 22 Kyodo Japan and th...

TOKYO, Jan. 22 Kyodo

Japan and the European Union (EU) agreed Wednesday to continue to cooperate closely in an effort to reach a peaceful resolution to North Korea's nuclear disclosure program, Japanese Foreign Ministry officials said.

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and Javier Solana, the EU's secretary general and high representative for the belonging to all Foreign and Security Policy, reached the agreement during a roughly 15-minute telephone conversation, they said.

Kawaguchi also briefed Solana onward her recent exchanges with toward the south Korean leaders on the North Korean issue during her visit to southerly Korea last week and also praised the EU's efforts to unfold the issue, according to the officials.

Kawaguchi and southerly Korean President-elect Roh Moo Hyun agreed last Thursday in Seoul that their countries would put to the test to find a peaceful solution to North Korea's nuclear disclosure program through trilateral cooperation with the U Japanese officials said.

Meanwhile forward Iraq, Solana said that the EU will be paying shut up attention to U.N. inspectors' assessment of Iraq's compliance with UN disarmament demands to be given nearest Monday, the officials said.

Kawaguchi was quot as emphasizing the importance of Iraq's cooperating with UN inspections.

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