Ban willing to visit Pyongyang on nuclear issue

Jul 29, 2009, 23:12 GMT

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that he was open to visiting Pyongyang to help achieve a resumption of the six-nation nuclear talks that have been stalled for months.

He welcomed North Korea's recent suggestion that it is willing to hold one-on-one talks with the United States over the faltering nuclear disarmament deal.

'Whatever I can do as the secretary-general, I am willing to do, including my own visit to Pyongyang,' Ban said. 'However, I need to find out when it would be an appropriate time for me to visit. I am not able to give you any answer at this time.'

The US State Department said this week that it would be willing to hold direct talks with North Korea within the context of the six- nation format but only after Pyongyang takes steps to comply with a 2005 agreement to halt its nuclear activities.

'While I believe that six-party talks still can provide a good way for the solution through dialogue, if necessary then there should be some other forms of dialogue,' Ban said.

North Korea withdrew in January from the six-nation talks, which also include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, and set off international condemnation by carrying out its second nuclear detonation in May.