Countries in six-party talks meet with Philippine leader

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo rides a wave at a surfing camp in the north of the country. BBC NEWS



Countries in six-party talks meet with Philippine leader

Jul 31, 2007, 12:23 GMT

Manila - Countries involved in six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis met briefly in the Philippines on Tuesday on the sidelines of an annual Asian security meeting.
The 30-minute closed-door meeting was hosted by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Malacanang presidential palace ahead of dinner for delegates to the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.
The discussions were expected to have focused on how to advance a February agreement following Pyongyang's shutdown of its main nuclear reactor.
Arroyo has in the past offered the Philippines as a venue for negotiations involving the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia.
US negotiator Christopher Hill was not in the meeting and was scheduled to arrive later Tuesday.
It was not clear if Hill would meet with ministers from the countries involved in the six-party talks.
South Korea and North Korea were also expected to meet on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, ASEAN, Japan, China and South Korea reaffirmed their support for the six-party talks 'as the most viable mechanism for peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.'
They stressed that 'the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is essential in maintaining peace and security in the region,' and expressed support for the resolution of the nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur