Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said Thursday the ongoing
six-party talks had entered a pivotal phase of discussing
abolishing nuclear programs, safeguarding security and enhancing
economic cooperation.
Tang made the remarks while meeting with delegation heads and
related foreign diplomatic envoys to Beijing.
Liu Jianchao, member of the Chinese delegation to the
multilateral negotiation, said at a news briefing that the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) put forward a proposal
to completely stop nuclear program at the morning session
Thursday.
The message Liu transferred was echoed by Russian chief delegate
Alexander Losiukov.
The Russian deputy foreign minister said the DPRK agreed to
abolish nuclear weapons program while retaining its peaceful
nuclear program, with a precondition that the United States gave an
assurance of non-aggression and respect for DPRK sovereignty.
A DPRK official said, in the first public comment from the
country Thursday evening outside its embassy in Beijing, that they
had proposed to freeze all nuclear programs.
The DPRK's proposal to freeze nuclear weapons program as the
first-phase measures to hit the goal should be followed by
corresponding measures (adopted by the United States), he said.
However, the spokesman said, the United States, disregarding
DPRK's flexible stance, has, as always, insisted on its hard-line
position that only after the DPRK abolishes all the nuclear
programs, including those for peaceful purposes, could the DPRK
proposal be put to discussion.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said all parties welcomed the
DPRK's proposal of a comprehensive stop of nuclear activities,
which is a necessary step for dismantling of its nuclear
program.
At a separate news briefing, Lee Soo-hyuck, chief negotiator
from the Republic of Korea (ROK) side, said China and Russia agreed
to join the ROK to offer energy aid to the DPRK, in return for
freezing of the nuclear weapons program.
"If there is an agreement on the energy aid issue," Liu said,
"China is willing to offer energy aid."
There was no confirmation from either the US or Japanese side,
neither of which arranged news briefings at press time.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a
routine news briefing that the atmosphere of Thursday's meeting was
"constructive and practical."
She said the four-hour meeting mainly focused on detailed
measures for realizing a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula.
"China hopes to see the peaceful talks mechanism carry on,"
Zhang said.
A spokesman with the ROK delegation also confirmed that the
negotiation Thursday morning was "not bad."
Zhang said, "all parties concerned are making efforts to try to
fix existing consensus in written form." But she refused to give
any prediction.
Losiukov said the Russian side hopes to have a written document
that embodies the DPRK's pledges for abandonment of the nuclear
weapons program as well as a US assurance for DPRK's security.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who heads the Chinese
delegation, said the talks was "substantial".
"The differences were gradually narrowed down and consensus
grew," Wang said.
Wang urged all parties to "keep patience, show flexibility and
overcome difficulties so as to push forward the talks."
(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2004)