India welcomes North Korea's proposal for talks with US

India on Friday welcomed North Korea's offer to hold talks with the US and Washington's positive response in this regard and said it hoped that will pave the way for lasting peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula.

"We have noted the comments of the senior official of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) regarding DPRK's (Democratic People's Republic of Korea or North Korea) proposal to hold talks with the US and the positive response from the US," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told the media here.

"We welcome these developments. India supports all efforts to bring about peace and stability in the Korean peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy," Kumar said.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday agreed to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, saying that he would do so by May, officials said.

According to South Korean officials in Washington, to start the talks with Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un offered the suspension of his nuclear and ballistic missile programme.

South Korean representatives in Washington led by Chung Eui-yong, head of National Security Office, delivered to Trump a letter which Kim had handed to him on Monday during their meeting in Pyongyang.

"President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation," Chung Eui-yong said.

Kumar said that India hoped that "such engagement will help in reducing tensions and pave the way for lasting peace and reconciliation in the Korean peninsula".

"As we have said before, we also believe that any solution to the issues in Korean peninsula must take into account and address concerns about the proliferation linkages of DPRK's nuclear and missile programme," he added.

--IANS

ab/dg