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Is North Korea ready to talk? Moscow meeting may be first step

North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator will travel to Moscow next week, in what may be a step toward resuming the six-party talks North Korea walked out of in 2009.

's chief nuclear negotiator will meet senior Russian officials in听听next week, state media reported, amid signs of a new push to get听听to re-join protracted talks over ending its atomic program.

,听's听听Foreign Minister, will meet deputy foreign ministers听听and Igor Morgulov on Thursday "as part of efforts to resume the six-party talks," the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The reclusive Asian state walked out of the discussions with听, the听,听,听听and its main ally China in 2009 and has often said it will never abandon its nuclear weapons, calling them its "treasured sword."

But in a flurry of statements and visits this month,听North听Korea听has offered to hold talks with the听听to ease tension that spiked this year when the听North听threatened the听听and听听with nuclear war.

During a trip to听听last week,听听said the denuclearisation of the peninsula was the "dying wish" of听North听Korea's founder.

The听听has said any talks must involve action by the听North听to show it is moving toward disarmament. Washington has been sceptical of听听move's towards dialogue in the past, saying it has repeatedly backtracked on deals.

The听听kept up the pressure on听听this week by saying it was imposing sanctions on the country's Daedong Credit Bank for its role in supporting听's weapons of mass destruction programme.

The U.N. Security Council has also imposed a variety of sanctions on听听for听's three nuclear tests and numerous missile launches, including an embargo on the import and export of nuclear and听听and a ban on all arms exports.

A spokesman from听'听听declined to comment on the RIA Novosti report published late on Friday. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Andrew Heavens)