BEIJING - BEIJING has welcomed proposed talks between military officers from North and South Korea, the first since a deadly artillery attack sent relations on the peninsula into a tailspin.
'We welcome and support the move by North Korea and South Korea to improve their relations through dialogue, moving towards reconciliation and cooperation,' said foreign affairs spokesman Hong Lei, according to a posting on the ministry's website.
'We hope this dialogue will bring about a positive result.' Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang became increasingly fraught during 2010, marked by the sinking of a South Korean warship with the loss of 46 sailors in March and the deadly shelling of a border island in November.
But since the beginning of the year, North Korea has made a series of overtures to the South, and on Thursday Seoul said it would accept an offer of high level military talks.
Seoul's unification ministry, however, stuck to its terms for dialogue - that the North accept responsibility for the two attacks, promise no repetition and show sincerity about nuclear disarmament.
Washington has repeatedly demanded that Beijing put pressure on its recalcitrant ally - something China has publicly appeared unwilling to do. -- AFP
0 Comments:
Post a Comment