The prospect of the ongoing six-party talks on the Korean
Peninsula nuclear issue remained hazy although the talks are said
to end on Friday.
Chief negotiators of North Korea and the US held two rounds of
one-on-one meetings on Thursday, the Chinese press center said,
without releasing details of their talks.
Top US envoy Christopher Hill, after a third straight day of
one-on-one talks with his North Korean counterpart, said he had a
"long and difficult" day.
"Today was not a day when we registered much progress…. The
talks are expected to end on Friday," he said.
Clearly dissatisfied with North Korea's emphasis on the
financial issue, Hill stressed that "it's time to talk the
denuclearization and discuss the implementation of the joint
statement" in September 2005.
Under the joint statement, North Korea agreed to abandon its
nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security
guarantees.
Formally known as the second phase of the fifth round since
2003, the talks resumed on Monday after a 13-month suspension and
involved China, the US, Japan, Russia, North and South Korea.
As the talks entered the fourth day on Thursday, a flurry of
one-on-one negotiations were held in the Diaoyutai State
Guesthouse.
Host China also stepped up its diplomatic efforts on Thursday by
holding direct meetings with the other five parties, aiming at
narrowing down their differences.
Yet some envoys said there is little chance of breakthrough this
week.
"The situation of the talks remains severe, and there is no
prospect of breakthrough up to now," Japan's top negotiator
Kenichiro Sasae told reporters in the hotel Thursday evening.
North Korea "holds a very strong position on the financial
issue, which is currently the biggest difficulty in the talks,"
Sasae said.
Financial sanction imposed on North Korea was one of the key
stumbling blocks that had stalled the six-party talks for the past
13 months.
On Thursday morning, US treasury officials headed back to
Washington after they held two rounds of talks with their North
Korean counterparts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Daniel Glaser, who was leading the US treasury delegation, said
the meetings were business-like and useful, but hinted that no
progress came out of the financial talks.
Glaser said he might meet with the North Korean counterpart next
month in New York.
"There is no point getting too pessimistic or optimistic each
day," Hill said.
On Friday, Hill will meet again with North Korean chief
negotiator Kim Kye-gwan.
"We have to see whether tomorrow will be a better day," Hill
said, adding he will leave Beijing Saturday morning.
(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2006)