North Korea has the right to develop its civilian nuclear capacity and can expect cooperation with other countries if it returns to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said Monday.

"Russia has always insisted that as a sovereign state, North Korea can develop its peaceful nuclear program in keeping with international law," Alexeyev said in an interview with South Korea's Joong Ang Ilbo daily newspaper.

If North Korea returns to the NPT and joins the additional protocol to the agreement on safeguards, it can expect cooperation and assistance regarding such activities from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other nations, Alexeyev said.

"The Russian delegation stated this clearly again at the fourth round of (six-party) talks" on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, said Alexeyev, who headed the delegation to the talks in late July in Beijing.

The six parties -- China, the US, Russia, Japan, South and North Korea -- have agreed to take a recess after 13 days of discussions in Beijing and resume the talks in the week starting August 29.

The Russian chief negotiator said the recess was meant "to give the sides a chance to modify their approaches with the purpose of finding a wording acceptable to all sides."

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2005)