Spokesman calls for all parties to continue six-party talks

BEIJING, July 16 -- Chinese Foreign Ministry

spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that all parties to the six-party talks on the

Korean Peninsular nuclear issue should meet their commitments by adopting

practical measures to advance the process.

"We hope all parties will properly resolve issues

through dialogue and coordination," Qin told a regular press conference here.

Qin urged all parties to avoid intensifying the tense

situation, and to jointly safeguard peace and stability in northeast Asia.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei had just

concluded a tour of Russia, the United States, Japan and the Republic of

Korea(ROK).

Qin said Wu had in-depth talks with officials from

the four nations on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and the six-party talks,

and all parties agreed to continue efforts to resolve issues through dialogue

and to promote the resumption of the talks.

"We would like to keep in contact with all concerned

parties by all means," Qin noted.

It was in accordance with all parties' interests to

peacefully realize denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue,

and to safeguard the peace and stability of the northeast Asia, he said.

The six-party talks, which involve China, the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the ROK, Russia

and Japan, have been stalled since December last year.

The DPRK announced its withdrawal from the talks

after the UN Security Council adopted a presidential statement which said the

DPRK's April 5 rocket launch was "in contravention of Security Council

resolution 1718" and urged the early resumption of the six-party talks.

On June 12, the United Nations adopted UN Security

Council Resolution 1874 imposing tougher sanctions on the DPRK over its May 25

nuclear test.

The DPRK rejected the resolution and announced it had

quit the talks and the ceasefire agreement of the Korean War.

The DPRK tested seven missiles off its east coast on

July 4. The launches came two days after the DPRK test-fired four short-range

missiles off its eastern coast.