UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has underlined the necessity for key players to hold "serious" talks on North Korea's nuclear crisis following a thaw in relations between the two Koreas.
"Our objective remains the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters on Friday.
"For that, it is absolutely essential that serious discussion take place among the key actors in this process and the UN will do everything possible to encourage them in that regard," he added.
Guterres pointed to the unanimity of the UN Security Council members to slap sanctions against Pyongyang, saying the unified position "has created the conditions" for addressing the North Korean nuclear threat "through diplomatic engagement."
In December 2017, the Security Council imposed a new round of US-engineered economic sanctions against Pyongyang in an attempt to cut off revenue to its military program.
The UN chief is scheduled to visit South Korea next week to hold talks with leaders in Seoul and also attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. |