S. Korea, Japan press N. Korea on nukes

BALI, Indonesia, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday North Korea must halt illegal nuclear activities before six-nation talks can resume.

Lee's comments came during a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at an East Asia summit in Bali, Indonesia, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"The way to create the least trust needed for resuming the six-party talks is for North Korea to halt all illegal nuclear activities and promise not to restart them," Lee told the meeting, presidential press secretary Choe Guem-nak said.

"I hope the three countries will cooperate closely to get North Korea to make a decision to give up nuclear programs," Lee was quoted as saying.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also called on North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions and said the talks could succeed only if it does.

But Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged starting the six-nation talks, without preconditions.

Negotiations between the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan were halted in April 2009 when the North left the table and conducted a nuclear test one month later. North Korea and the United States had a meeting in Geneva last month aimed at restarting the six-nation talks on the North's nuclear ambitions.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have been pressing North Korea to stop its uranium-enrichment program before six-nation talks resume.