The fourth round of six-party talks reconvened in Beijing Tuesday afternoon, but there is still little sign showing breakthrough could be made on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

 

As of Tuesday afternoon, chief negotiators of the six parties arrived in Beijing for the second phase of talks after five weeks of recess.

 

China chaired a chief delegates' meeting in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, indicating the formal restart of the talks. China also held one-on-one contacts with the other five parties respectively prior to the chief delegates' meeting.

 

While addressing the plenary meeting, Chinese delegation head Wu Dawei urged the parties concerned to seek a balanced and win-win solution through flexible, pragmatic and constructive consultations so that the talks can make progress.

 

The six parties, including China, North Korea, the US, South Korea, Russia and Japan, agreed to put the talks into recess on August 7 after 13-day consultations, failing to reach an agreement.

 

The stumbling block was whether Pyongyang is allowed for the right to have a civilian nuclear program. North Korea insisted on the right while the US wanted full dismantlement of its nuclear program. The five-week recess seems unable to soften their stances.

 

"North Korea has the right on peaceful nuclear activity. This right is neither awarded nor needs to be approved by others," the North Korean delegation head Kim Gye-gwan told Xinhua in Pyongyang on Tuesday before traveling to Beijing for the talks.

 

"We have this right, and the more important thing is that we should use this right," Kim stressed, adding that "if the US tries to set obstacle to North Korea's using this right, we can utterly not accept that."

 

"This phase of six-party talks could be hard in view of the key differences between North Korea and the US," said Piao Jianyi, a professor with the Asia-Pacific Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

 

A flurry of diplomatic activities was conducted during the recess in a bid to iron out the differences. North Korea and the US maintained direct contacts via diplomatic channels.

 

"I know we have had two discussions within the New York channel, and I can't say really there has been progress," said chief US negotiator Christopher Hill upon his arrival Tuesday. "We will have a better idea about what North Korea position is."

 

Hill came to Beijing aboard the same flight with South Korea delegation, which is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon.

 

"If the parties concerned do not soften their stances, it will be hard to achieve any progress" during the negotiation, Song said. "As far as the prospect is concerned, I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic."

 

However, the parties have agreed on the ultimate aim of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula and vowed to settle the issue through dialogue and negotiation.

 

Wu, also vice foreign minister, urged the parties concerned to exchange views on the goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and keep moving forward "based on the consensus that has been reached."

 

Kim Kye-gwan said Pyongyang is aimed for denuclearization of Korean peninsula through dialogue, saying Pyongyang would attend the talks in a "sincere attitude" and "take flexibility when necessary."

 

The position of North Korea on the nuclear issue is seen "to be evolving a little," Hill said in Beijing Tuesday.

 

"I must tell you their (North Korea) position does seem to be evolving a little, and we will have a much better idea about it tonight or tomorrow," Hill told reporters.

 

The first three rounds of six-party talks ended inconclusively. The fourth round began in late July and then went into 5-week recess.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2005)