China confirmed?Wednesday it will host working-level
discussions on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue on May 12 with an
eye towards the next round of six-party talks.
After the last round, members decided to convene again before
the end of June 2004.
"The fundamental goal (of the working group meeting) is to make
preparations for the third round of (six-party) talks based on the
consensus reached at the end of the second round," said Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan during Wednesday's regular
news conference.
The announcement came shortly after a visit to China last week
by Kim Jong-il, chairman of the National Defense Commission of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and US Vice- President
Dick Cheney's visit earlier.
Kong praised Kim Jong-il for helping facilitate the meeting.
"Kim Jong-il expressed willingness to participate in the
six-party talks and achieve the final goal of the denuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula,", Kong said.
A statement published by the official KCNA news agency said that
DPRK will attend the working group talks.
The lower-level talks are expected to focus on details rather
than some principles.
"At working group talks, participants should have in-depth talks
to seek ways of defusing tensions over the nuclear issue," Kong
told reporters, adding that the meeting is open-ended.
The working group meeting was agreed during the second round of
six-party talks in February.
Two rounds of six-party talks -- which included the DPRK, the
United States, China, Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan --
were held in Beijing in August 2003 and the latest in February this
year.
Ning Fukui, Beijing's special envoy for Korean Peninsula
affairs, will head the Chinese team at the working group
meeting.
Ning called for a "flexible" approach toward the nuclear
stand-off after arriving in ROK for a two-day visit.
Ning has also kicked off a visit to Japan and the United
States.
"We hope the participants will be more flexible and take a
realistic approach so that progress can be made," Ning said.
The nuclear standoff erupted in October 2002 after US officials
claimed Pyongyang had admitted to reviving a program to produce
atomic weapons.
Economic aid is key in Pyongyang demands for its freezing and
then dismantling its nuclear programs while Washington has said a
freeze is not enough. Washington has asked the DPRK to first
dismantle "all" its nuclear programs.
China maintains that the goal is to secure a promise from the
DPRK to freeze all of its nuclear activities and accept inspections
as the first step towards the final goal of a nuclear-free Korean
Peninsula. Meanwhile the other parties concerned should respond to
the needs of the DPRK.
China says that providing energy support to the DPRK is one of
the responses.
(China Daily May 6, 2004)