The six-party talks on Korean nuclear issue, involving the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the
Republic of Korea, Russia, Japan and China, will begin the third
round of talks before end of June as scheduled after one more
working group's meeting.
The first working group's meeting, held in Beijing from May 12
to May 15 and participated by diplomats from the six countries,
made such arrangement.
The first working group meeting was "an important step" to push
ahead the peace talks process on the nuclear issue, said Ning
Fukui, head of the Chinese working group and ambassador on Korean
Peninsula affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, at the end of
the four-day meeting.
"All parties, in a candid and practical manner, exchanged views
on issues related the resolution of the nuclear issue, such as
abandonment of the nuclear program, security guarantee, nuclear
freezing and counter measures," he said.
"All parties wanted to make clearer the details on the
settlement of the above issues and exchange views more specifically
on the steps, methods and related measures," he noted.
All parties reiterated their adherence to all the important
consensus reached at the second round of the six-party talks --
peaceful solution of the nuclear issue through dialogue, the
ultimate goal of a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula with
nuclear freezing as the first step to complete nuclear abandonment,
while addressing the security concerns of DPRK.
A DPRK working group member gave a 10-minute press release
outside the DPRK Embassy to China last Thursday mid-night, saying
the DPRK would hold the position of solving problems through
dialogue and coordination and would discuss the nuclear-freezing
issue concerned by all sides with a frank attitude
According to the Associated Press, Joseph DeTrani, US State
Department special envoy for Korean affairs, said Saturday that the
working level meeting had been a "good meeting."
When asked if progress had been made, he answered: "Yes,
definitely,'' but did not elaborate.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell also made positive comment on
the working-level meeting, saying it was good and frank.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a regular
press conference last Thursday that all sides elaborated their
stance during the working-level meeting and some fresh contents
were added.
Russian delegation head V. Sukhinin, also deputy director of the
first Asian Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at an
interview with the Itar-Tass news agency last Wednesday that all
the participants in the meeting are experts in specific fields and
they can only exchange views on details of some issues but cannot
revise the stance of their governments.
The working group's meeting is an important step to further the
six-party talks, said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo
while meeting with heads of the working groups of the six parties
Saturday after the meeting.
In the meeting, all sides has had frank and in-depth discussion
based on the fruits of the second round of six party talks,
including new ideas for solving related questions, the vice
minister said.
The working level meeting resulted in consensus and progress,
enhanced mutual understanding and forged basis for furthering the
talks, he noted.
"There is still a long way to go to settle the Korean nuclear
issue," Dai said, "but if all sides, with full sincerity, enough
patience and confidence, try to enhance trust and settle suspicion,
they can expand consensus and push forward the six party
talks."
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2004)