Senior officials from the United States and Japan urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday to resume six-party talks over the nuclear issue.

The United States and Japan "share a concern" about the DPRK's nuclear issue, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a news conference at the State Department after a "two plus two" talks with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and their Japanese counterparts, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono.

"The ministers and I urge North Korea to return to the six-party talks as the best way to end nuclear programs and the only way for North Korea to achieve better relations," Rice said.

"The North Koreans are continuing to bring about their own isolation by not dealing with this problem. The international community has been concerned with this for quite a long time. It is really time for the North Koreans to take seriously that concern, return to the six-party talks and begin to address the international system's concern," she said.

As to US-China relations, Rice said the United States hopes forcooperative relations with China and a peaceful solution of the Taiwan issue.

The United States has said it is committed to the six-party talks even though the DPRK declared on Feb. 10 to withdraw from the talks "for an indefinite period."

Three rounds of the six-party talks had been held to try to resolve the nuclear confrontation between the United States and the DPRK. The talks were stalled in June last year as the DPRK accused the United States of adopting a hostile policy towards Pyongyang.

Source: Xinhua