KUALA LUMPUR, July 25, 2006 (AFP) - Southeast Asian states on Tuesday issued a statement urging six countries involved in negotiations on North Korea's nuclear ambitions to return to talks and resolve the issue peacefully. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia should meet on the sidelines of the region's top security forum being held here Friday. "We call on all parties concerned to resume the six-party talks and take advantage of their presence at the 13th ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum) to fully utilize this opportunity for dialogue as a means to move forward in achieving a peaceful resolution of the issue," the statement said. "We emphasize that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is essential in maintaining peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region," said the statement issued by the group's foreign ministers after annual talks. South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon told reporters earlier Tuesday that efforts were under way to hold talks between the foreign ministers of the six nations. North Korea has boycotted the three-year-old nuclear disarmament talks since November in protest at US financial sanctions. Tensions rose after Pyongyang's July 5 test-firing of seven ballistic missiles in defiance of international appeals. UN condemnation and sanctions followed. North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun is due to arrive in the Malaysian capital on Thursday, along with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was branded an "imbecile" by Pyongyang on Monday. dk/sls/sst