MOSCOW, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - South Korea's minister of foreign affairs and trade said Monday he had secured Russia's commitment to promote six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program.
Following talks with his Russian counterpart, Ban Ki-moon said that Seoul appreciated Russia's efforts in the matter and hoped Russia would help convince North Korea of the need to resume the talks, which also involve the United States, China, and Japan.
The latest round of talks on the communist country's controversial nuclear program were held in September 2005 but have not resumed since then over ongoing differences between North Korea and the U.S.
On April 6, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged the U.S. and North Korea to search for compromises to resume the talks, which began in August 2003.
"Mutually acceptable compromises between the U.S. and North Korea will help the resumption of six-nation nuclear talks, even if these are small steps toward each other," Alexander Alekseyev, a deputy foreign minister said at a news briefing in Tokyo.
In September, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees, but later refused to return to the negotiating table until Washington lifted financial sanctions imposed on Pyongyang for its alleged involvement in counterfeiting and other illegal activities.
Ban Ki-moon also said he had asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to support him as a candidate for UN Secretary General.
The UN's Asian and African diplomats have agreed to nominate an Asian candidate as Kofi Annan's successor.
Lavrov said late last year he hoped the UN Asian Group would be able to agree on a nomination for the post by the time Annan's second term as head of the international organization expires on December 31, 2006.
The Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the Security Council's recommendation.
