VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican is encouraging negotiations to obtain the "denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula, Pope Benedict XVI said Monday.
In a speech to the new Japanese ambassador to the Vatican, Benedict referred to the crisis over North Korea's nuclear program.
He said that "the Holy See encourages bilateral or multilateral negotiations, convinced that the solution must be sought through peaceful means and in respect for agreements taken by all sides to obtain the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."
"More than ever, the search for peace among nations must be a priority in international relations," Benedict said in his speech, delivered in French. "The crises which the world knows cannot find definitive solutions through violence — on the contrary, they are resolved through peaceful means in respect for agreements."
The pope said he "strongly urges the international community to pursue and intensify its humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable populations, notably in North Korea."
The secretive, Communist nation has suffered in recent years from food shortages.
Tensions have been running high in the region since North Korea announced it had conducted a nuclear test on Oct. 9.
South Korea balked Monday at participating in a U.S.-led plan that foresees intercepting North Korean ships suspected of carrying arms cargo as part of sanctions on Pyongyang for conducting the test.
Late last month, North Korea agreed to end an 11-month boycott of international talks with the United States and four neighbors — China, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
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