Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon agreed in a phone conversation Monday afternoon to step up concerted efforts for the progress of the six-party talks.  

Ban briefed Li on recent efforts South Korea has made to resume the six-party talks, according to sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Chief negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan to the six-party talks discussed the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue in Seoul this February.

Li told Ban about the support of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for the resumption of the six-party talks. The SCO, a regional organization grouping China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, held a meeting of foreign ministers in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, last Friday.

Both Li and Ban agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation, and work together to drive the process of the six-party talks.

Three rounds of the six-party talks have been held in Beijing since August 2003, serving as a channel for all concerned parties to solve the nuclear issue through dialogue and cooperation.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2005)