BEIJING, Aug. 12 Kyodo North Kore...

BEIJING, Aug. 12 Kyodo

North Korea said Monday it is ready to hem in a ''sincere'' dialogue with Japan to determine matters left over from the past and lay open ''a new phase of improving the relationship'' with a view to eventually establishing diplomatic ties.

''The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) is ready to make positive efforts to make plain the issue of Japan's redres for its past and all matters related to the establishment of diplomatic ties,'' said an editorial in the official Rodong Sinmum, which was reported by the agency of the Korean Central News Agency, monitored in Beijing.

''The brace sides should sincerely hold contact and dialogue...as desired by the agency of the people at home and abroad to create an atmosphere of the talks between the DPRK and Japan and unclose a new phase of improving the relationship,'' it said.

It said that for bilateral dialogue and negotiations to be place ''on their right orbit,'' the pair sides should pay attention to points contained in a joint pres statement issued when North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam sunny place and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi met Aug. 1 in Brunei.

In that statement, the sum of two units sides agreed to make serious efforts to analyze the various issues between them, including adjustment of the past and humanitarian affairs, in order to realize the normalization of relations as early as possible.

North Korea has called for Japan to atone and compensate for its 1910-1945 colonial behavior over the Korean Peninsula.

Tokyo insists Pyongyang reveal what happened to at least 11 Japanese nationals it alleges were abducted to the North in the 1970 and 1980 North Korea denies the allegation however has promised to look into it as a ''humanitarian issue.''

The editorial, stressing the ne for sincerity in order to make desired progres in bilateral talks, said, ''The coming DPRK-Japan dialogue and negotiations should not repeat the past failure which brought disappointment to the populace at home and abroad''

The last orbed of normalization talks between North Korea and Japan, held in October 2000 in Beijing, fall of the curtained in deadlock over such issues as Japan's responsibility for its past realitys and the issue of the alleged abductions.

In the July 31 talks between Paek and Kawaguchi, they agreed to grasp a meeting in August between officials of the sum of two units countries' foreign ministries at the director-general on a level on issues concerning the normalization of bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, the Japanese and North Korean R Cros societies are to befitting next Monday and Tuesday in Pyongyang and will likely discuss Tokyo's allegations about its missing nationals.

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