The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea said Sunday that the stalemate in negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programme had to be overcome urgently, according to DPA. They were all in agreement that the present stalemate was in nobody's interest, South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min Soon said Sunday after a meeting with his counterparts, Japan's Taro Aso and China's Yang Jiechi, on the South Korean island of Jeju. The three ministers have agreed on closer co-operation in order to implement an agreement reached in February to dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme. The ministers were committed to finding "a solution that can overcome the legal and technical barriers" presently preventing the transfer of North Korean funds from a bank in Macau, Song said, adding, "We have to find a solution." Due to the delayed transfer of money which has been blocked by US sanctions, North Korea has refused to close down its nuclear plants as agreed during six-nation talks with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. North Korea has repeatedly said it would fulfil the agreement as soon as the transfer has been concluded and has blamed the problems on the US. In April, North Korea had let a deadline pass for the closure of its nuclear plants. The three ministers also agreed Sunday to step up co-operation in the fight against global warming and environmental protection. Song said their three-way meeting would become regular as so far the ministers have only conferred as part of international conferences. Song, Aso and Yang are to meet again on Monday and Tuesday in Seoul as part of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue - a regional forum which seeks to improve co-operation among Asian countries. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also due to attend the forum.
