UNITED NATIONS: The UN's political chief said on Tuesday that senior North Korean officials told him during his visit last week "that it was important to prevent war" over the country's rapidly advancing nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Jeffrey Feltman told reporters after briefing the UN Security Council privately that "how we do that'' was the topic of more than 15 hours of discussions he had with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk and other officials.
Mr Feltman, a veteran US diplomat who is the UN's undersecretary-general for political affairs, said he told the North Koreans "they need to signal that they're willing now to go in a different direction, to start some kind of engagement, to start talking about talks''.
He said he stressed "the urgent need to prevent miscalculation and reduce the risk of conflict'', while he also underlined both the international community's commitment to a peaceful solution and its opposition to North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons.
He said he emphasised the importance of opening channels of communications "such as the military-to-military hotline to reduce risks, to signal intentions, to prevent misunderstandings and manage any crisis''.
It was the first in-depth exchange of views between the UN and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the country's official name, in almost eight years.
Mr Feltman termed the mission the most important he had ever undertaken and said it was "constructive and productive''.
He believed he conveyed the concerns of secretary-general Antonio Guterres, the Security Council and the international community, but he was cautious about the impact.
"They listened seriously to our arguments ... they argued with us,'' Mr Feltman said. "They did not offer any type of commitment to us at that point. They have to reflect on what we said with their own leadership."
"I think we've left the door ajar, and I fervently hope that the door to a negotiated solution will now be opened wide,'' he added.
Mr Feltman said both sides agreed the situation on the Korean Peninsula was "the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today''. They also agreed that his visit "was only a beginning and that we should continue our dialogue''.
He said the UN and others were prepared to facilitate any new opening for talks.
Mr Feltman's visit came at a time of heightened tensions between North Korea and South Korea, Japan and the United States, sparked by the reclusive country's frequent missile launches and recent nuclear test explosion, and particularly by its latest launch of a long-range ballistic missile that experts say could reach Washington.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump have traded insults and engaged in escalating rhetoric in recent months but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson softened the US stance on possible talks with North Korea on Tuesday.
Mr Tillerson offered to meet the North Koreans without preconditions and said it was "unrealistic'' to expect the country to come to the table ready to give up a nuclear weapons programme that it invested so much in developing. He said Mr Trump endorsed his stance.
Mr Tillerson is expected to attend a Security Council ministerial meeting on Friday at which the secretary-general will brief members. Mr Feltman also is scheduled to attend. ap
