Tripartite talks between DPRK, S.Korea, U.S. held in Finland

Denuclearization is not on the agenda of a meeting in Finland between representatives from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), South Korea and the United States, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini said on Tuesday.

In an interview with the Finnish television, Soini that nuclear weapons are unlikely to be discussed at the tripartite talks held in Vantaa, northeast of Helsinki.

It is "good to have the discussion going on and take the use of this time frame that was opened between the South and North Korea before the (Winter) Olympics (last month)" Soini said.

Soini added that Finland is only a facilitator in the so-called 1.5-track meeting, a term used for talks in which heads of government and cabinet ministers are not present.

No statements were released on Tuesday. Media were not allowed to enter the fenced meeting venue and black cars were seen entering the compound in the morning.

It is widely believed that the discussion, which is set to run through Wednesday, was related to preparations for the April summit between South Korea and the DPRK and for a later one between the leaders of the DPRK and the United States.