Iran offers help to settlement of Korean crisis

Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia-Pacific Affairs Abbas Araqchi here on Wednesday voiced Iran's readiness to help find a peaceful solution to the Korean crisis."Iran would be ready to help find a peaceful solution to the existing crisis in the Korean peninsula if it was deemed necessary by the two sides," Arachi announced in an interview with Islamic republic news agency.The diplomat stressed that the two Koreas have repeatedly announced that they were not seeking a war.We take this as a positive signal to the international community for their assistance to reduce the tension and find a peaceful way out of the disputes," Araqchi stressed.Commenting on some reports claiming that Pyongyang had warned foreign diplomats to leave its soil by April 10, Araqchi said, "Pyongyang has only asked foreign embassies and offices of international organizations to announce their needed facilities in order to provide more security for their staff."He said that Pyongyang was differently quoted by the media.Asked if the Iranian diplomats had left North Korea, Araqchi said, "Given the sensitivity of the issue, we are considering the situation to make due decision in this connection."The Iranian diplomat also called on both Pyongyang and Seoul to avoid provocative moves against each other and try to find a peaceful solution to their problem.He reiterated that waging a nuclear war would be of no help to the global peace and stability.