Russia has decided not to participate in expanded North Korea nuclear talks the United States has been trying to arrange at the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, diplomatic sources here said Wednesday.
U.S. efforts to bring aboard England and France also failed, they said.
A meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is most likely to chair, according to the sources.
Trying to keep the talks alive on North Korean nuclear disarmament, U.S. officials had sought a "five plus five" meeting of foreign ministers, including those from the European Union.
The core group of the meeting would be the five members of the so-called six-party process -- South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan.
North Korea had said it would not participate, and China said earlier this week it, too, will not show up. China is the host of the six-party forum and is closely allied with North Korea.
An expanded 10-party meeting was convened in July in Malaysia, where foreign ministers were gathered for a regional security dialogue. Rice had chaired that session.
New York, Sept. 20 (Yonhap News)
Russia not to participate in 10-party talks: sources |
