MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il secured Chinese support in resolving the international standoff over his regime's nuclear ambitions as he met with President Hu Jintao at the end of an unofficial eight-day visit to China Wednesday.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Hu pledged help in fostering the resumption of the stalled six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program, which, along with the two Koreas and China, also involve the United States, Japan and Russia. He described the six-party talks as "the correct choice" for settling the nuclear dispute.
Kim reportedly said he remained committed to peacefully resolving the conflict surrounding Pyongyang's nuclear program. KCNA quoted him as saying "there is no change in [North Korea's] basic stand of maintaining the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, implementing the joint statement issued at the fourth round of the six-party talks and pursuing a negotiated peaceful settlement."
At the latest round of talks in September, the North agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees, but later refused to return to the negotiating table unless Washington lifted financial sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's alleged counterfeiting and other illegal activities.
The U.S. has been pressing China to use its leverage as North Korea's main supplier of aid and ally to have the six-nation talks restarted.
