FM Kang urged int'l unity for peaceful resolution of N. Korean nukes in Geneva disarmament conference

SEOUL, Feb. 27 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha called for international unity for a peaceful resolution of North Korea's nuclear issue at the Conference on Disarmament held in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, her ministry said.

The conference's high-level session on Tuesday was attended by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization as well as ministers from roughly 30 countries to discuss North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development, Syrian chemical weapons use and general nuclear disarmament issues.

In the meeting, Kang said North Korea's recent Olympic participation and its inter-Korean preparations created a momentum for peace building. She said the South Korean government will work toward using the momentum to "peacefully settle the North Korean nuclear issue," according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

She also called on the international community to faithfully implement sanctions on North Korea so that the country can quickly come out to the table to negotiate its nuclear disarmament, the ministry said.

South Korea is committed to denuclearizing North Korea and it will pursue the goal by facilitating denuclearization talks with the North, she also stressed.

Her remarks came as South Korea is striving to broker dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington over the long-standing nuclear issue. Visiting South Korea early this week, a senior North Korean official expressed his country's willingness to talk to the U.S. Washington, however, remains insistent that any talks with North Korea would be possible only under the right conditions.
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