A senior US official on Tuesday urged two of its Asian allies - the Republic of Korea and Japan - to solve their islands dispute through dialogue, emphasizing the importance of trilateral cooperation to deter Pyongyang's provocations.

US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns expressed concern at the territorial spats in Northeast Asia as he held strategic consultations with the ROK officials, an ROK foreign ministry official said.

According to the anonymous official, Burns called for talks between Seoul and Tokyo to settle their row over an island chain known as Dokdo in the ROK and Takeshima in Japan, saying cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington is crucial to deter any provocation by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.