Cambodia will make an effort to persuade the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to the six-party talks in order to end the DPRK nuclear programme, a Cambodian official has said.

Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia Long Visalo made the statement in his meeting with Park Hae-yun, Director –General of the South Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Korea on March 6 in Phnom Penh .

Park Hae-yun encouraged Cambodia in its capacity as ASEAN Chair to act as intermediary to solve the nuclear crisis in the DPRK. He said that Cambodia ’s efforts will contribute to ensuring security, peace and stability in the region.

The six-party talks between China , Japan , the Republic of Korea , DPRK, Russia and US began in August, 2003 to discuss nuclear issues in the DPRK.

However, the talks have stagnated since April, 2009 when the DPRK boycotted the talks in response to international condemnation of the country’s long-range missile testing.-VNA