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)