U.N. can do verification role in Korea talks if asked: Guterres

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gives a statement after delivering a speech on disarmament and denuclearisation at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) in Geneva, Switzerland, May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations is prepared to play a verification role if asked following talks in Singapore between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.

"Relevant parts of the United Nations system stand ready to support this process in any way, including verification if requested by the key parties. They are the protagonists," Guterres told reporters.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Writing by Eric Walsh; Editing by Susan Heavey)