The tact and diplomacy aimed at keeping the Six-Party Talks on
course have paid off.
The announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday
that negotiators from the six nations will gather in Beijing on
December 18 for the second phase of the fifth round of the talks
will raise global expectations that the meeting will bear
fruit.
Though no details of what they will discuss are available, the
news itself sent a clear signal that all parties are willing to
keep the forum working.
Unlike in the previous four rounds, the fifth has proceeded by
phases. Its first phase opened in Beijing on November 9, 2005.
The negotiators agreed on this arrangement in the hope that this
round would yield better results.
The talks are a diplomatic initiative aimed at creating a
nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
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The upcoming talks will test the urgency, sincerity and tenacity of
the negotiators from China, North Korea, the United States, South
Korea, Russia and Japan.
It is hoped that they will map out a workable plan to follow
through on the agreements in the joint statement they signed in
September 2005.
The progress they have made in the past three years has fallen
short of the world's expectations. Distrust runs deep between the
United States and North Korea. It has cast a pall over how fast the
talks can move forward.
As time passes, both the positive elements and the complexities
of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula have mounted. The
lack of trust between the United States and North Korea has made
the task more difficult.
The nuclear test North Korea conducted in October has
complicated the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
However, the framework of the Six-Party Talks has survived
because the whole world shares a common desire to see a peaceful
and nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. This is a fundamental driving
force, which should advance the talks.
The joint statement should be respected and upheld by all. North
Korea has agreed to abandon all its nuclear weapons and existing
nuclear programs in exchange for energy aid and security
guarantees.
If the talks are to keep moving forward, the negotiators will
need to be creative and flexible.
When they meet again in Beijing next week, it is hoped that they
will pool their wisdom and work together for progress.
The fresh momentum for the six-nation talks is proof that
political and diplomatic efforts work.
It is hoped that the upcoming meeting will lead to a turn for
the better, helping ease tension on the Korean Peninsula and in
East Asia.
(China Daily December 12, 2006)
