Pyongyang calls for restart of nuke talks

BEIJING - The top nuclear negotiator of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) called for the resumption of the Six-Party Talks with no strings attached on Monday, a positive signal on the eve of his meeting with his counterpart from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Beijing on Wednesday.

"Attaching preconditions ahead of a dialogue will hurt trust and confidence in each other," Ri Yong-ho, the lead nuclear negotiator from the DPRK, was quoted by the Seoul-based Yonhap news agency as telling a closed-door forum in Beijing.

"That's why we call for unconditionally resuming the Six-Party Talks," Ri was quoted as saying.