China calls on DPRK and SKorea to start talks on easing tension

BEIJING, December 19 (Itar-Tass) - China calls on the North and South Koreas to start talks and to avoid steps, capable of intensifying tension in the Korean Peninsula, said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in a Saturday telephone talk with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"The situation on the peninsula remains tense, and there is a risk of
its further escalation," the Chinese minister said. "We call on the two
sides in the Korean Peninsula to show quietude and restraint as well as to
start a dialogue," said Yang.
In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that during the phone
conversation, the sides "held a detailed exchange of opinions and
orchestrated stands on looking for ways of de-escalating the military and
political tension in the Korean Peninsula.
"The ministers were unanimous that the interested sides should display
extreme restraint and head off actions that could provoke an armed
conflict in that region."
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