The six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the
Korean Peninsula restarted this afternoon amid high hopes that
concrete progress will be made.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, China's chief negotiator to the
talks, met with his counterparts from the US, South Korea, Japan
and Russia following their arrival in Beijing yesterday, according
to diplomatic sources.
North Korean chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan arrived today.
The talks are likely to focus on persuading North Korea to shut
down its Yongbyon nuclear plant, a source of plutonium for its
nuclear weapons program.
"This is a very important session," US Assistant Secretary of
State Christopher Hill told reporters at Beijing International
Airport after flying in.
"But I want to emphasize the real success is when we complete
the September 2005 joint statement. Not just when we start the 2005
agreement, but when we finish it," said Hill, who is the top US
nuclear negotiator. "We've worked very hard for this, done
consultations all over the place, so let's see if we can make some
progress."
If the joint statement is successfully implemented, Pyongyang
will abandon its nuclear program and receive economic aid and
security guarantees.
Prior to this new round of talks, Hill visited South Korea and
Japan in order to consolidate their respective positions.
Chun Yung-woo, South Korean chief negotiator, yesterday called
upon Pyongyang to take active steps in the right direction.
The upcoming session was hailed as "another moment of truth" by
Chun upon his arrival, which "should create some sort of turning
point" showing Pyongyang's desire to denuclearize.
This latest session will form the third phase of the fifth-round
six-party talks since their launch in 2003. The previous phase,
held in December last year, ended without a breakthrough following
five days of negotiations.
Pyongyang has cited financial restrictions imposed by Washington
for not implementing the 2005 joint statement, but the latter
insists these sanctions concern North Korea's alleged illicit
financial activities and are an entirely separate matter from the
nuclear disarmament talks.
Jin Xide, a researcher of international relations studies at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he is optimistic about the
new round of talks. He said that various signs from the relevant
parties demonstrate that a "positive outcome" will be achieved.
(China Daily February 8, 2007)
