Six parties involved in the Korean nuclear issue will make their final attempt to clinch a deal as the talks entered the fifth day on Monday, with energy aid still as focus of negotiations.

 

"It is the last day of the talks, let's see how it goes," said chief US negotiator Christopher Hill. "We have put everything on the table, it's up to North Korea."

 

South Korean chief negotiator Chun Yung-woo cautioned the prospect of the talks.

 

"The sky in Beijing is very clear, but the prospect for the six-party talks is unclear," Chun told reporters in the hotel.

 

At a chief delegates' meeting on Sunday, North Korea agreed with other parties to conclude the talks on Monday. "This shows North Korea has the will to achieve results today," said Chun.

 

But whether the talks will conclude today depends on what the attitude North Korea will take, Chun added.

 

Echoing Chun's remarks, Japanese negotiator Kenichiro Sasae said the parties will make utmost efforts to reach an agreement as the talks are stretched to the final day on Monday.

 

"However, whether or not an agreement will be reached depends on the response from North Korea," said Sasae.

 

To coordinate differences, host China held separate bilateral meetings with North Korea and the US on Monday morning. And North Korea and the US also held their one-on-one meeting, according to the press center.

 

"The talks now hinge on the differences on an agreement," said an official from the South Korean delegation, adding that the envoys have held random contacts on Monday morning in efforts to strike a deal.

 

"It's hard to say we should be optimistic or pessimistic at present," said the official with condition of anonymity.

 

Envoys from host China, the US, Japan, Russia, North and South Korea reconvened the talks on Thursday in Beijing in the wake of a 48-day recess.

 

But the talks got blocked by the energy aid to North Korea after the negotiators held consultations on a Chinese draft, which involves the moves North Korea will take to abandon its nuclear program in return for economic aid and security guarantee.

 

The draft reportedly proposes halting within two months the work at nuclear sites in North Korea, including the Yongbyon reactor, and supplying Pyongyang with alternative energy sources.     

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2007)