The consensus reached in the third round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue should be recorded in written form, said Zhang Qiyue, Chinese delegation member to the talks, in Beijing Friday.

As for what specific form it should take, it is still under discussion by the relevant parties, Zhang said at the press conference, adding that China and the parties concerned are making efforts to achieve that goal.

Zhang noted this round of six-party talks had made certain progress, with the consensus reached by all relevant parties regarding the nuclear freezing and the adoption of corresponding measures as the first step toward denuclearization.

The relevant parties set forth their specific proposals to solve the nuclear issue in the talks, Zhang said, acknowledging that these proposals were substantial in contents and needed research and analysis for some time.

The relevant parties, meanwhile, also had some differences in these proposals, but all the parties had shown a positive attitudes toward making serious researches on other parties' proposals, Zhang said.

China was not only a host nation and coordinator of the six-party talks, but also a participant playing a very important role in the process of the six-party talks, Zhang said, adding that China also set forth its own proposals on how to initiate the nuclear freezing and corresponding measures, which were studied conscientiously by all the other parties.

Such issues as when the next round of six-party talks and the working group meeting will be held, and who will be held responsible for checking on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, still require further discussion, she said.

Zhang also said that whether to hold a closing ceremony for the third round of six-party talks has no connection with the talks' progress.

Since the talks have become mechanized, there is no need to have opening and closing ceremonies for every round of the talks, Zhang explained.

According to Zhang, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also the head of the Chinese delegation, will hold a press conference, which will be televised live, sometime after the talks end.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2004)