MOSCOW, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Russia still backs the six-nation talks format on North Korea's nuclear program, Interfax news agency said Tuesday.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said that Russia views the six-nation talks to resolve the problem of North Korea's defiance of international monitoring on its nuclear program as the most suitable format, Interfax said.
The talks involve the United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. China hosts the negotiations in Beijing.
"A settlement is possible only if a persistent search for mutually acceptable solutions continues. We are convinced that the six-nation format is the best for attaining this goal," Yakovenko told a news conference. Although the talks have slowed lately, "none of the parties has expressed opposition to this format," he said, according to the news agency report.
North Korean officials have said they would prefer to hold direct bilateral talks about their nuclear program with the United States. But the Bush administration continues to insist on the six-nation format.
