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A visiting US senior national security official and an official of the Republic of Korea (ROK) discussed in Seoul Wednesday the resumption of the stalled six-party nuclear talks, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
Michael Green, senior director for Asia at the US National Security Council, met with Lee Jong-seok, ROK deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, and reportedly delivered a hand-written message for ROK President Roh Moo-hyun from US President George W. Bush.
The two officials discussed a wide range of security issues including the early resumption of the six-party nuclear talks aimed to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, said Yonhap.
Lee stressed the importance of the Seoul-Washington alliance to end the nuclear dispute, according to Yonhap.
"The South Korean government has fully understood the urgency of North Korean nuclear standoff, and has worked to resolve the issue at the earliest possible date," Lee was quoted as saying by NSC spokeswoman Lee Ji-hyun.
Lee Jong-seok added that resolving the standoff will largely depend on whether participants at the talks demonstrate a "flexible" attitude.
On Thursday, Green is scheduled to meet ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon and Cho Tae-yong, head of the Foreign Ministry's task force on the nuclear dispute.
Green will leave for Vietnam on Thursday evening.
The six-party nuclear talks have been stalled since last September and no exact date of the resumption of the talks has been fixed.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2005)
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