MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have spoken out in favor of the fourth round of the six-nation talks on the North Korea nuclear issue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. "Lavrov and Rice spoke in support of holding the fourth round of the six-nation talks on the [North] Korean nuclear problem in fixed terms," a ministry spokesman said. Lavrov and Rice also discussed the international agenda on the phone, including the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
The six-nation talks involve Russia, North and South Korea, the United States, China and Japan.
After three rounds in Beijing, held since August 2003, the talks came to a deadlock after North Korea and the United States failed to reach a mutual understanding.
Last week Pyongyang and Washington agreed to continue the talks. The fourth round is scheduled for July.
North Korea announced for the first time in February that it has nuclear weapons.
