The government on Friday began arranging a possible meeting between Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and his North Korean counterpart, Paek Nam Sun, in Bangkok later this month.

The government hopes the meeting will take place during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum meeting, slated to begin July 26.

Both Kono and Paek will attend the two-day event.

"Our stance to seek an early resumption of normalization talks (with North Korea) remains unchanged," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hidenao Nakagawa told a news conference Friday. "There have been various positive signs (from Pyongyang), and I do expect Foreign Minister Kono and his staff will make efforts (to set up a meeting)."

The prospect, however, remains unlikely.

"We've been receiving positive signals from North Korea," a Foreign Ministry official said. "But it will still be very tough (to realize the meeting)."

Speaking to reporters Friday, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said he would like to see the foreign ministerial meeting take place during the Bangkok gathering.

"It is not strange for two foreign ministers to hold discussions on such occasions, and I believe it is important to take such an opportunity," Mori said, stressing the need to quickly resume normalization talks between the two nations.

The prime minister also mentioned his willingness to talk with a North Korean representative during the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York in September.

Should the meeting between Kono and Paek occur, Kono will urge an early resumption of normalization talks.