Koreas agree on peaceful fix to nuke flap

A joint statement issued after all-night talks fell short of South Korean hopes it could persuade its northern neighbor to participate in multilateral talks involving the United States, China, Japan and Russia.

North Korea maintained its position that it wants one-on-one talks with the United States.

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The nuclear dispute flared in October when US officials said North Korea admitted it had a clandestine nuclear program in violation of a 1994 agreement with Washington.

The United States and its allies suspended fuel shipments promised under the 1994 deal, and Pyongyang retaliated by expelling UN monitors, restarting nuclear facilities and withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Saturday's statement in which the Koreas agreed to resolve their differences through an "appropriate method of dialogue" was a departure from the North's previously hostile rhetoric.

"The South and North expressed concern over the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed that joint efforts are needed to sustain peace and safety on the peninsula," negotiators said in the statement.

South Korea said it believed the meetings in Seoul "created the atmosphere" for North Korea's participation in multilateral talks.

South Korea has warned that it might curtail reconciliation efforts with the North if the communist state does not take action to ease tensions over its nuclear development.