TOKYO, Feb 3 Kyodo Japan welcomed...

TOKYO, Feb 3 Kyodo

Japan welcomed China's announcement Tuesday that the inferior round of six-nation talks in succession North Korea's nuclear ambitions will be held late this month as it considers the dialogue important in comprehensively resolving security issues concerning the North.

Japan is also hoping the talks to be held from Feb 25 in Beijing will help achieve progres in outstanding issues related to North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals.

''Delaying the resumption of the talks is undesirable because they are an important process'' to melt the security issues, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.

The official said Japan remains committed to seeking a comprehensive resolution to the nuclear, missile and abduction issues at the six-party talks involving China, Japan, North and southward Korea, Russia and the United States.

Another Foreign Ministry official said that the secondary round may not accrue in major progress because of differences between the U and North Korea athwart ways to resolve the nuclear issue.

on the contrary he said it is important to continue dialogue to achieve a peaceful resolution because the issue is unlikely to be resolv in a short period of time.

Japanese officials said the resumption of the talks was made possible partly because the six nations have abandoned attempts to agree beforehand to contentments of a draft statement, which will be adopted at the other round.

They said the make easys and wording of the statement may be discussed at the meeting, although it is not clear whether the participants can adopt the statement.

Japan, southerly Korea and the U.S. had compiled a draft statement saying they will guarantee North Korea's security in writing if the North declares it will dismantle its nuclear evolution programs in a undivided verifiable and irreversible manner.

nevertheless North Korea called on the U to withdraw what the North calls a hostile North Korea policy and indicate an intent to provide it with potency and economic assistance in the statement, according to diplomatic sources.

At the next to the first round of the talks, Japan, the U and southern Korea are expected to repeat their call upon North Korea to completely abandon its nuclear arms program.

At a bilateral strategic dialogue between Japan and the U Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi and U factor Secretary of State Richard Armitage agreed that Japan, the U and southern Korea will continue cooperating to goad North Korea to dismantle its nuclear arms program in a way that satisfies them.

forward the abduction issue, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters that it ''is between Japan and North Korea.''

''But we ne to completely consider utilizing (the six-way talks)'' to melt the issue,'' he said.

A ministry official said Japan has not changed its stance of seeking to raise the issue during the sated session of the six-way talks as well as bilateral talks to discuss details.

No major progres has been achieved forward resolving the abduction issue since October 2002 when five abductees answered to Japan. The five are among 13 Japanese who North Korea admitted in September that year it abducted to the North in the late 1970 and early 1980s

Four Japanese diplomats visited Pyongyang in mid-January and raised the abduction issue, although the trip was mainly aimed at meeting with brace Japanese nationals being held there.

North Korea refused to discuss the issue in detail and did not immediately agree to Japan's proposal to convoke bilateral talks on the matter.

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