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China asked to take diplomatic role with North Korea
South Korea’s foreign minister asked China to help dissuade North Korea from making any more moves toward a suspected test firing of a long-range missile. "To prevent the current situation from getting worse, I ask for China to step up efforts to persuade Pyongyang [from conducting a missile test]," South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon was quoted by his aide as saying.Visiting Beijing, Minister Ban met with his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing to discuss ways to diffuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which have been on the rise in the past several weeks over suspected moves by Pyongyang to test fire a ballistic missile believed capable of reaching the western part of the U.S. In response to Seoul’s request, the Chinese foreign minister was quoted as saying that the North should first return to the stalled six-party talks, with immediate efforts needed to prevent the communist country from engaging in a missile test. The six-party talks, involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia, and Japan, have been in a stalemate since last November. Minister Ban was also quoted as saying that he had conveyed China’s "interest" to other neighboring countries, hinting that he had contacted top U.S. diplomatic officials, as well. Meanwhile, U.S. President George W. Bush, who called the North’s move to test-fire a missile a provocative act, held a press conference on the same day, saying that North Korea should notify the world of its intentions. White House spokesman Tony Snow also urged the North to come back to the negotiating table of the six-party talks before asking for talks with Washington, adding that there will be no compensation for bad behavior, referring to the communist state’s suspected moves toward a missile test.
