Chief Japanese negotiator to the six-party talks Kenichiro Sasae said on Tuesday that the six parties should start working groups as soon as possible in accordance with the joint document reached at the end of this round of talks.

 

If the document can not be effectively implemented, it would be meaningless to make such a document, Sasae told reporters at the Japanese embassy in Beijing.

 

"The six parties should promptly turn the content of the document into actions," Sasae said.

 

He said Japan would start the working group on normalization of Japan-North Korea relations within 30 days.

 

"If we can make progress in the abduction issue, Japan will play a constructive role in economic and energy assistance to North Korea," Sasae said.

 

The bilateral ties would be improved if North Korea could take a forward-looking attitude in dealing with disputes between the two countries, he added.

 

The fifth round of six-party talks ended on Tuesday with a joint document on the first step towards the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

 

The six parties agreed on the establishment of five working groups on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, normalization of North Korea-US relations, normalization of North Korea-Japan relations, economy and energy cooperation as well as a Northeast Asia peace and security mechanism.

 

The goal of this round of talks was to decide what each party should do before North Korea abandons its nuclear program, said Chun Yung-woo, chief negotiator of South Korea.

 

The working group on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will discuss the next step after the disablement of North Korea's nuclear facilities, and the next round of talks will also discuss the next phase of work, Chun said.

 

"Japan's participation in implementing the initial actions is very important," he said.

 

It is up to the Japanese side to decide when it will participate in the economic and energy assistance to North Korea, he added.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 14, 2007)