US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who is visiting Hanoi as part of a five-nation Asian tour, said he hoped Washington's allies would continue working together on getting North Korea back to the negotiations.

"In my discussions and the delegation discussions what we'll be focusing on is how we can continue to work together as we have over the last several months," Steinberg said.

He added that Washington hoped the forum members would send "a unified message to North Korea that we are open to dialogue if the North is prepared to return to the six-party talks and reaffirm its committment to complete denuclearisation."

Steinberg's current mission will also take him to Malaysia, China, South Korea and Japan. The latter three, along with Russia, the United States and North Korea make up the six-nation forum.

"At the same time, we are determine to continue with very strong implementation of Security Council Resolution 1874 that was adopted after North Korea last nuclear test," Steinberg told reporters.

The council adopted the resolution in June following North Korea's second nuclear test, on 25 May. It imposes financial and commercial sanctions and extends an arms embargo on North Korean by requiring members to inspect suspicious cargoes.

Pyongyang recently said it had reached the final stages of enriching uranium and was also building more plutonium-based atomic weapons.

In recent weeks it has aso signalled a new openness to resuming talks. Earlier in this month, Chinese state media said North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il told an envoy from Beijing he was willing to engage in new talks.

earlier related report
UN chief meets top North Korean diplomat
UN chief Ban Ki-moon met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Gil Yon here Sunday and urged Pyongyang to resume six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear weapons program.

A UN statement said Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, and Park discussed "matters of mutual interests and concerns, including UN-DPRK (North Korea) relations as well as the nuclear, humanitarian and human rights issues."

Ban took note of signals from Pyongyang that it was now open to resume six-party talks with China, Japan, Russia, the United States and South Korea on its nuclear weapons program.

"The Secretary General encouraged the DPRK to respond positively to the recent initiatives by the concerned parties," the statement said.

US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who is visiting Hanoi as part of a five-nation Asian tour, meanwhile said he hoped Washington's allies would continue working together on getting Pyongyang back to the bargaining table.

He added that Washington wanted "a unified message to North Korea that we are open to dialogue if the North is prepared to return to the six-party talks and reaffirm its commitment to complete denuclearisation."

In April, North Korea quit the six-party talks after the UN Security Council censured its long-range rocket test.

After North Korea conducted its second nuclear test in May, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution slapping financial and commercial sanctions and extending an arms embargo on North Korea by requiring member states to inspect suspicious cargoes.

But North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il was recently quoted as telling a Chinese envoy he was willing to rejoin the talks.

The UN statement meanwhile said Ban also voiced concern about the humanitarian and human rights situation in the hardline Stalinist state, which is frequently accused of human rights abuses on a massive scale.

And Ban stressed the need for "proactive action to enhance donor commitments to meet the serious food security needs" in North Korea.

Scores of North Koreans are believed to flee North Korea each year as they desperately seek a way out of extreme poverty and malnutrition.

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