BEIJING, March 22 (UPI) -- North Korea says it's ready to resume nuclear talks, but only if conditions are right, Premier Pak Bong Ju said in Beijing Tuesday.
Starting his first official visit to China since taking office in 2003, Pak's tour came a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice left Beijing, the official newspaper China Daily reported.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's stance of maintaining a nuclear-free peninsula, as well as to resolve the nuclear issue through peaceful means and talks, remains unchanged," Pak said at a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao according to the China Daily report.
North Korea "neither opposes nor will abandon the six-party talks," he stressed. "The DPRK will participate in the six-party talks as soon as the time is right."
China suggests seeking a peaceful resolution and six-party talks in dealing with the Korean Peninsula nuclear stand-off, which is vital to the peace and stability of Northeast Asia, Wen said according to the China Daily report.
It was a "realistic option" to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue, Wen said. "The six-party talks are in the interests of all parties and should continue."
