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With delegations from Pyongyang and Seoul arriving in Beijing Tuesday morning, all six parties are busying making their final preparations for the second round of Beijing talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, scheduled to open Wednesday morning.
Diplomats from China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and the United States spared no time Tuesday holding one-on-one consultations in a hope for good bargain in the talks.
Shortly after his arrival in Beijing, DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan consulted with Wang Yi, the Chinese chief negotiator.
Wang, also Chinese vice foreign minister, said no matter who is the head of the delegation, the DPRK will take a serious and responsible attitude toward the talks.
Kim told Wang that the DPRK is willing to show flexibility and work hard to strike concrete results in the new round of six-party talks.
Before leaving Pyongyang, Kim said the DPRK would do its best to achieve "good results" at the talks.
US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly expressed the readiness of the United States to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully and to seek common ground, saying the United States will be patient in the upcoming talks.
After consultation with the Russian delegation, Kelly walked out of the conference room smiling, saying the meeting was "very fine."
Lee Soo-Hyuck, ROK deputy minister of foreign affairs and trade, said the ROK will do its "utmost" to make the six-party talks a turning point in resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
He said the ROK delegation would present a detailed proposal based on the ROK government's previous three-phase proposal, adding that the proposal would enunciate the ROK stance on security guarantees and the freezing of the nuclear program.
The ROK would exchange views with the DPRK and brief the DPRK on the stance of the six-party talks agreed by the ROK, the US and Japan, aiming to make progress in the talks.
The ROK, the US and Japan held a closed-door meeting in Seoul Monday for policy coordination before leaving for Beijing.
It was possible that the ROK side would revise its proposal on the six-party talks after exchanging views with the DPRK delegation, Lee said.
Mitoji Yabunaka, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry and head of the Japanese delegation, said the time since last August's first round of talks was well spent and Japan hoped to contribute to a good outcome.
After consultation with Russia, the Japanese said that both sides support the continuation of the talks and hope progress would be made in the new round.
As host, China has already exchanged views with the other five delegations. Wang said the forthcoming talks will start discussions on substantial questions. He urged various parties to respect each other and try to lay down specific goals for solving the problem.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said the relevant parties have all made earnest and active preparations for the talks.
(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)
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