"I believe the six parties now share a common view on the necessity to hold six-party talks...and move on to the third phase (of a denuclearisation pact)," Kim Sook told reporters.

He was set to fly to Tokyo later Wednesday for talks with his US and Japanese counterparts about preparations for the next round. US envoy Christopher Hill will also visit talks host China.

The six-party talks -- which also include Russia -- have been stalled since the North missed a December 31, 2007 deadline to declare all of its nuclear programmes under the aid for denuclearisation deal.

But there have been several signs of progress in recent weeks.

North Korea, which is disabling its plutonium-producing plants under US supervision, has handed over more than 18,000 pages of operating records to Washington.

Last week Japan dropped some of its sanctions against North Korea after the communist state agreed to reopen a probe into its abduction of Japanese citizens during the Cold War era.

Kim said the next six-party round would review the declaration, which must be linked to a verification of its contents, but gave no firm date for it.

He urged Japan to start contributing to the energy aid which was promised to North Korea in return for the disabling of its nuclear plants.

Tokyo refuses to supply its share until there is a full accounting for the abduction issue.

"Now is the time that Japan should start participating in economic and energy assistance so it can be completed. This is very important," Kim said.

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