Leaders press North Korea on missile tests, urge Iran to accept nuclear energy offer

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — World leaders on Monday called on North Korea to stop its missile tests and to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Although the Group of Eight summit of industrial powers was dominated by worries the escalating warfare between Israel and Lebanon, leaders managed to address sensitive situations posed by the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran.

The leaders urged North Korea to reinstate a moratorium on missile launching and said the country's recent test firing of missiles "intensify our deep concern over the DPRK's nuclear weapons program," the leaders said in the document.

North Korea is officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea test-fired seven missiles on July 4 — including a long-range Taepodong-2 — which was believed capable of reaching the United States.

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution over the weekend demanding that North Korea suspend its ballistic missile program. The resolution bans all U.N. member states from selling material or technology for missiles, banned weapons or technology from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

In a document released Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the leaders expressed support for the U.N. resolution. Besides Russia, the Group of Eight includes the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, and Canada.

North Korea has rejected the council's unanimous vote Saturday adopting the resolution and warned that it was a prelude to a renewed Korean war.

The leaders urged North Korea to return to disarmament talks with China, North and South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States. The talks have been stalled since the fall, and North Korea has not agreed to return.

"We strongly support the six-party talks, and urge the DPRK to promptly return to them," the leaders said. "We strongly urge the DPRK to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs."

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters Monday that cooperation is possible with North Korea if it halts the missile tests and returns to the multination talks, which are aimed primarily at persuading North Korea to stop developing nuclear weapons.

"The door is not closed" Koizumi said. "North Korea must return to the talks as soon as possible."