UN official: NKoreans say it's important to prevent war

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. political chief says senior North Korea officials told him during his visit to the country last week "that it was important to prevent war" over its rapidly advancing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Jeffrey Feltman told reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council privately Tuesday that "how we do that" was the topic of over 15 hours of discussions with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and other officials.

Feltman is a veteran American diplomat who is the U.N. undersecretary-general for political affairs. He said he told them "they need to signal that they're willing now ... to start some kind of engagement."

Feltman said "I think we've left the door ajar, and I fervently hope that the door to a negotiated solution will now be opened wide."