After half a year of shuttle diplomacy, envoys from six states
seeking to resolve the Korean nuclear issue opened talks in Beijing
Wednesday morning.??
The delegates from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK), the United States, China, the Republic of Korea (ROK),
Russia and Japan, took their places at a hexagonal table and one
after the other outlined their positions.
In the opening remarks, China's Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi
said: "All sides now expect to discuss concrete problems and score
concrete results in the second round of talks, and the current
round of talks will discuss detailed goals, the first-phase
measures for resolving the nuclear issue and study ways to continue
the talks process."
US Assistant Secretary of State and the US delegation Head James
Kelly reiterated that the United States has "no intention" to
attack the DPRK, while DPRK top negotiator Kim Kye-gwan described
the talks as "an important opportunity" for progress.
US President George W. Bush said last fall that the United
States and other parties concerned will provide security guarantee
to the DPRK and has no intention to invade or attack the DPRK,
Kelly said, adding that it is still the policy of the United
States.
"The United States seeks complete, verifiable and irreversible
dismantlement of all North Korea (DPRK)'s nuclear programs, both
plutonium and uranium," Kelly added.
DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan said the second round
of talks will chart the course for resolving the nuclear issue in
the future. To this end, the DPRK will adhere to principles while
showing flexibility in the six-party talks.
Kim hoped sincere efforts made by all sides can produce "a
positive result" in the second round of talks.
"The re-launching of the six-party talks demonstrated the common
aspiration of all sides to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue,"
he said.
"We hope that disagreement between each party can be narrowed as
much as possible and the stalemate between North Korea (DPRK) and
the United States can be resolved through dialogue."
Other involving countries also express their stance at the
opening session.
Head of the ROK delegation, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Trade Lee Soo-hyuck, called on all parties to adopt an earnest
and tolerant attitude to expand their consensus to realize
denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.
Head of the Japanese delegation Mitoji Yabunaka said Japan is
ready to make active contribution to achieving substantial progress
of the talks, have conducive discussions with all relevant parties
and welcome all proposals and opinions raised at the talks.
Head of the Russian delegation and Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Alexander Losiukov said the resolution of the nuclear
issue will be a long-drawn process and entail compromise and
patience from all sides, and the Russian side wants to reiterate
that the ultimate goal of the talks is to guarantee peace, security
and cooperation on the basis of a nuclear-free Korean
Peninsula.
The first session ended early Wednesday afternoon with no
immediate statement of progress.
(China Daily February 25, 2004)