"Russia welcomes the concrete step taken by the North Korean leadership, which opens the way to a resolution of the problem (surrounding North Korea) on the basis of talks with the most interested parties," Fedotov said.

"We expect that such talks will begin in the near future," he said.

Russia on Thursday said it had been formally informed by North Korea of Pyongyang's intention to accept a US proposal to hold six-nation talks to try to resolve a nine-month-old nuclear standoff.

The talks would include North Korea, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

The isolated Stalinist state has until now insisted the crisis must be resolved through one-on-one talks with Washington, an option firmly rejected by US officials.

South Korea confirmed North Korea's shift on Friday, saying the five countries had all been informed of the North's decision.

WAR.WIRE