President Hu Jintao
received assurance on Friday that the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea (DPRK) will return to the Korean Peninsula
denuclearization negotiation table early next month.
"The DPRK believes the common statement issued by the fourth
round of Six-Party Talks was hard-won and of positive
significance," said Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the Workers'
Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission,
during his talks with Hu.
"The DPRK will honor its commitment and attend the fifth round
of talks as scheduled," Kim said.
The top DPRK leader stressed that his country will insist on its
stance of maintaining a nuclear-free peninsula, as well as
resolving the nuclear issue through peaceful means and talks.
Hu said China will maintain the goal of a nuclear-free
peninsula, and the peaceful settlement of the issue through
dialogue, so that peace and stability on the peninsula and in the
region can be safeguarded.
China "will join efforts with the DPRK and other parties
concerned to implement the overall objective of the common
statement (of the fourth
round of Six-Party Talks) and push for new progress in the
fifth round of talks," Hu said.
The new round of talks, which also include the United States,
Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia, is scheduled to open in
Beijing early next month but the specific date has yet to be
fixed.
Hu made the official goodwill visit in his capacity as general
secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Central Committee.
It was his first visit to the DPRK since he took office in 2002,
and the first by the CPC chief since September 2001, when Hu's
predecessor Jiang Zemin visited Pyongyang.
The visit comes amid international efforts to convince Pyongyang
to stop its nuclear program and ensure a nuclear-free Korean
Peninsula.
It follows a flurry of diplomatic activity between Beijing and
Pyongyang, including DPRK visits by Vice-Premier Wu Yi and
Li Bin, the Chinese diplomat responsible for Korean affairs, early
this month.
China hosted international talks which last month produced an
agreement that Pyongyang will give up all nuclear programs in
exchange for security guarantees and energy assistance.
However, the DPRK has demanded that it be given a nuclear
reactor for power generation before it dismantles its atomic
projects.
Earlier, Hu received "the highest honor and most courteous
reception" upon his arrival, a sign of strong traditional Sino-DPRK
friendship.
In the downtown area of a city with a population of 3 million,
up to 300,000 people lined up along the main street towards the
Paekhwawon Guesthouse.
Flower-waving citizens in traditional Korean dress performed
folk dances, shouting "Welcome, Hu Jintao!" in Chinese. Banners in
both Korean and Chinese touting friendship were everywhere.
Local officials said preparations for Hu's visit started almost
half a year ago.
In a written speech at the airport, Hu said developing friendly
and cooperative Sino-DPRK relations conforms to the fundamental
interests of the two nations.
A strong friendship between China and the DPRK also benefits
peace and stability, and promotes development and prosperity in the
region.
On Friday afternoon, Hu visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace,
where former DPRK leader Kim Il-sung lies in state, to pay
tribute.
Hu also laid a wreath before the Friendship Tower, a memorial
monument for the martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers during
the three-year War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea that
started on October 25, 1950.
(China Daily October 29, 2005)
