PYONGYANG, April 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is not
expecting the resumption of six-nation negotiations on
Pyongyang's nuclear program, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said on Thursday after talks with his North Korean counterpart.
"We are not expecting a breakthrough yet. This is a complicated
issue, and we should not give way to emotions, instead we
should concentrate on what we have already achieved," said
Lavrov, who is the first top diplomat to visit the reclusive
communist state since the nuclear row broke out.
North Korea withdrew from the six-nation talks on the
disablement of its nuclear program after the UN Security
Council condemned the launch of rocket carrying a
"communications satellite." Pyongyang also expelled IAEA
nuclear inspectors and pledged to resume its work at the
Yongbyon reactor.
Russia's top diplomat urged all parties to honor earlier
agreements: "If everybody takes such a stand, we will be able
to get through the crisis," Lavrov said.
The six-nation talks, involving North and South Korea,
Russia, Japan, China and the United States, were launched in
2003 after Pyongyang withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty.
Lavrov said he discussed all aspects of bilateral
relations between Russia and North Korea with Pak Ui Chun. He
said work on the modernization of the Khasan-Rason railroad
along the two countries' border, which is part of a project to
link Korean rail routes to Russia's Trans-Siberian railway, had
already started.
Lavrov is due to travel to South Korea on Friday for a
two-day visit.
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