HELSINKI - North Korea must return to negotiations with its neighbors and the United States following its nuclear and missile tests, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday.

The only viable option at this time for North Korea to remain as a responsible member of the international community is to return to the dialogue table, Ban told a news conference in Helsinki.

Through exchanges and cooperation between South and North (Korea) and through a dialogue among the six parties, that is the way they can play a role, he said.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's latest nuclear test on Monday, saying it was a clear violation of a previous resolution passed in 2006 after Pyongyang's first atomic test.

Russia said on Tuesday it believes North Korea will face a tough U.N. resolution because the reputation of the Security Council is on the line, according to Interfax news agency.

But Ban, who said he was deeply disturbed by the nuclear test, would not be drawn on what sort of resolution he expected.

I leave it to the Security Council members what measures they should take, he said.

(Reporting by Brett Young; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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