Russia will go all out at the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue to help find solutions that will suit all the countries involved, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Moscow yesterday.

 

The situation with the Korean nuclear issue has been quite complex this year, but compromises can be found "if all participants in the negotiating process display good will and patience," Lavrov told the Interfax news agency in an interview.

 

The six-party talks, which involve China, the US, Japan, Russia, North and South Korea, resumed in Beijing yesterday morning after a 13-month hiatus.

 

"Russia will do everything possible during the talks to promote the implementation of the September 19 joint statement by finding solutions that will suit all of the parties concerned," Lavrov said.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said yesterday the negotiators conducted "candid" and "pragmatic" talks in Beijing, but she admitted the talks still face obstacles and differences remain on the approaches and steps needed to implement the joint statement.

 

Under the joint statement, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2006)