TOKYO, Dec 18 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATIN...

TOKYO, Dec 18 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH KAWAGUCHI'S MEETING WITH IVANOV)

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov shared transactions Wednesday over North Korea's nuclear weapons progressive growth program, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

The sum of two units foreign ministers agreed during their meeting to instigate other countries to help unravel the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully, the official said.

Following a supplication from Kawaguchi for Russia to call forward North Korea to make efforts to decipher the issue of Japanese nationals abducted to North Korea, Ivanov promised that Moscow would experience to help Tokyo bench the issue, the official said.

Meanwhile, Ivanov denoteed Russia's support for the Iraqi situation to be resolv politically, according to the official.

Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told Ivanov that Japan wants to decide the long-standing territorial dispute above four Russian-held islands distant from Hokkaido, the official said.

Koizumi was quot as telling Ivanov in a meeting at his office that he is looking forward to discussing in what manner to settle the dispute with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a frank manner during his planned Jan. 9-11 visit to Moscow

Koizumi reportedly told Ivanov he wants to ''settle'' the territorial riddle and ''overcome'' difficulties stemming from it in various bilateral negotiations.

The Russian foreign minister did not address the matter on the contrary told the Japanese premier he chance of the desired ends Tokyo and Moscow can boost bilateral cooperation in various fields in the futurity said the Foreign Ministry official who attended the meeting.

The islands in question are Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan islands as well as the Habomai clump of islets, all off Hokkaido, Japan's main northern island. The islands were seized through Soviet troops at the extreme point of World War II.

Japan claims the islands, and the territorial dispute has obstructed the two countries from signing a peace treaty.

Ivanov arrived in Japan forward Tuesday to work out an itinerary for the premier's visit to Russia and thrash abroad details of the text of a six-item action plan that Koizumi and Putin are calculate uponed to release at the summit nearest month.

Kawaguchi and Ivanov agreed in their meeting in October that the action plan will screen the need for reactivating bilateral political dialogue, making efforts to finish a peace treaty, fostering cooperation in the international arena, strengthening economic cooperation and boosting human and cultural exchanges.

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