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UN Secretary General to hold meeting with North Korean foreign minister this week

On September 22, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to hold a meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho

UNITED NATIONS, September 18. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres plans to hold a meeting with the DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, who will attend a general political discussion at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, Stephane Dujarric, the official spokesperson for the Secretary General told reporters on Monday.

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"He (Guterres) is expected to meet with the Foreign Minister of the DPRK," he said.

The preliminary schedule of the general political discussion suggests the Ri Yong-ho will take the floor at the UN in the afternoon Eastern Daylight Time on Frida, September 22.

Guterres warned in an interview, which BBC aired earlier on Monday, that the crisis around the DPRK might grow over into a war and he called for averting this scenario. He stressed the importance of political settlement of the conflict,

He has said many a time in recent months the UN is prepared to render assistance in establishing dialogue with the DPRK. He has also said, however, he expects clear instructions from the UN Security Council on the issue.

The DPRK held a nuclear test and a yet another launch of a ballistic missile earlier this month. The missile crossed the Japanese island of Hokkaido and headed for the Pacific, falling into the water later on.

The UN Security Council responded to Pyongyang’s provocation with a toughening of the sanctions imposed on the DPRK previously.

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