26 October 2004	Tuesday	11 Ramazan 1425

SEOUL, Oct 25: China agreed on Monday to put pressure on North Korea to return to six-party talks on its nuclear programmes but told US Secretary of State Colin Powell that Washington needed to be more flexible to resolve the crisis.

Beijing also rebuffed Powell's request to accept an offer for talks with Taiwan.

Following meetings Powell held in Beijing, China will seek to exert its influence on North Korea to return within a few months to the six-party talks on its suspected weapons programmes, senior US officials said.

Powell, on his first trip to the region in 18 months, wanted North Korea's biggest benefactor to push harder to secure a breakthrough and crown relations with Washington that the top US diplomat describes as the best in 30 years.

"China has considerable influence with North Korea," Powell said at a news conference in Beijing after meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top officials.

"I hope that as a result of our conversations, both of us will energize the other members of the the six-party framework to resolve the outstanding issues that keep us from setting a date for a meeting," he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said China would make efforts to persuade all parties to the six-way talks to join a new round as soon as possible.

But he added: "The Korean nuclear issue is complicated and demands patience, flexibility and congeniality from the parties concerned. We wish the US side would go further to adopt a flexible and practical attitude on the issue."

The United States believes North Korea has a small number of nuclear weapons and many analysts say its programmes could become the world's worst proliferation challenge in the next few years, especially with Pyongyang blocking talks.

Three rounds of the talks - which comprise North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States - have been held in Beijing but a planned fourth round in September fell through.

STALLING FOR ELECTION: Washington suspects North Korea is stalling in the hope Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry will win the Nov.2 election and open bilateral talks that might lead to more US concessions.

On Taiwan, Powell pushed China to view a keynote speech by President Chen Sui-bian last month as an opportunity to hold talks to reduce tension in what many security analysts believe is one of Asia's most dangerous flashpoints.

"I particularly encouraged the Chinese leaders who I met with today to do everything they could to get into cross-Strait dialogue in a more systematic and deliberate way," Powell said.

Chinese officials rejected Powell's appeals they accept an offer for talks with Taiwan.

China fired off a litany of accusations against Taiwan and complained about US missile defence and submarine sales to the island, which the United States has pledged to defend if China attacks it.

Relations between the world superpower and its most populous country have steadily improved during President George W. Bush's four years in office but tensions remain over Taiwan and Beijing's rights record.-Reuters