U.N. chief looks forward to North, South Korea talks in New York: spokesman

Reuters
FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gives a statement after delivering a speech on disarmament and denuclearisation at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres praised efforts by North and South Korea to build trust and confidence and looked forward to discussing with the parties in September what support he can offer to aid peace and denuclearisation, a U.N. spokesman said on a Monday.

"The Secretary-General looks forward to discussing how he can further support the parties in their diplomatic efforts to bring sustainable peace, security, and complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula during the upcoming high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho are currently expected to attend the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York during the last week of September.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Eric Beech)