Media reported Tuesday that communist North Korea was on the verge of conducting new nuclear tests.
"I think it is time to resolve urgently the remaining problems, including financial ones, that stand in the way of further six-nation negotiations," Sergei Lavrov said.
In early July, North Korea, which claims to have nuclear weapons, conducted test launches of ballistic missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2. Many countries interpreted the tests as an attempt to force the international community, especially the United States, to make concessions over the six-nation nuclear talks.
"A direct dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea would be the best and fastest way," Lavrov said in Strasbourg after a meeting with the PACE chairman.
The six-party talks, which involve North and South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the U.S. opened in 2003, but stalled last November. The mediators proposed building a nuclear reactor for North Korea given it abandoned its nuclear program but North Korea said it wanted the reactor first and would then give up nuclear research.
