North Korea willing to restart six-party nuclear talks

Comments come after meeting of Chinese and North Korean vice foreign ministers

North Korea is willing to restart nuclear talks with international partners, China's foreign ministry has said.

North Korean officials said they wanted to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue, the ministry's website said.

On Sunday, Pyongyang offered to hold high-level talks on regional peace with the US, although it has reneged on deals several times in the past.

The comments from North Korea come after a meeting between the vice foreign minister of both the countries.

According to the BBC, six-party talks on the North Korea's controversial nuclear programme broke down in 2008.

The talks between North Korea and China, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States were aimed at persuading Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme in return for aid and security guarantees.

Responding to the latest information from China, North Korea's closest ally, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said that he really appreciated the constructive role China has been playing in reducing tension on the Korean peninsula, the report said.

Officials from the US, Japan and South Korea are meeting in Washington on Wednesday to discuss six-party talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament, it added.