Beijing, July 10, SPA -- North Korea said Sunday it is committed tobanning nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula, a dayafter the hardline nation announced it would return todisarmament talks it has boycotted for the past year. The announcement came on the same day U.S. Secretary ofState Condoleezza Rice and Chinese leaders met to try toresolve the impasse that has sparked concern that the Northmight be developing nuclear weapons. "The resumption of the talks itself is important but themost essential thing is for the talks to have an in-depthdiscussion on ways of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsulato make substantial progress in the talks," a North KoreanForeign Ministry spokesman said, according to the country'sofficial Korean Central News Agency. North Korea "will doits utmost for it." Pyongyang also repeated that its "ultimate goal" is "todenuclearize the Korean Peninsula and it is its consistentstand to attain the goal through dialogue andnegotiations." North Korea "has neither opposed nor given up thesix-party talks," the unnamed spokesman was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. The North said its contacts with U.S. officials "clearlyproves that it is possible to settle any problem when theparties concerned directly come out to solve it." Earlier, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwantold U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hillthat his nation is prepared to return to the talks duringthe week of July 25. Word of the North Korean decision came as Rice arrivedlate Saturday in Beijing, the first stop on a four-countrytour devoted primarily to the North Korea situation.--MORE1122 Local Time 0822 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/275779