United Nations Secretary-General praises summit as 'important milestone'

NEW YORK -- The U.N. says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "an important milestone" in advancing peace and "complete and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula."

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the secretary-general "urges all concerned parties to seize this momentous opportunity."

Dujarric said Guterres wrote to both leaders before the summit and reiterates Tuesday that "the road ahead requires cooperation, compromise and a common cause."

Guterres told reporters Monday that the International Atomic Energy Agency and other parts of the U.N. system "stand ready to support this process in any way, including verification if requested by the key parties."