Southeast Asian nations have called for the resumption of six-party talks in an effort to achieve a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula.
The foreign ministers of ASEAN, or the Association of South East Asian Nations, issued a statement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after a one-day meeting on Tuesday.
They want the six parties, namely the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, to renew stalled talks on the fringe of an ASEAN-sponsored global security forum in Malaysia on Friday.
China's Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei says all six parties are discussing whether it's possible to hold a meeting with the six countries on Friday.
But he says if North Korea doesn't agree, it's not a good idea to have five of the countries meet without North Korea.
 "The five-party talks are just an idea. Personally, I think we'd better not hold five-party talks because this will give the six-party talks more trouble."
The six-party talks came into a stalemate last November when North Korea objected to a U.S. crackdown on firms it suspected of aiding Pyongyang in counterfeiting and drug-running.
All foreign ministers of the six parties have arrived in Kuala Lumpur to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, where ASEAN and world powers discuss regional security issues every year.
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Director: Liu Chi