Six-party talks open amid positive note
By Hu Xiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-02-24 23:39

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States, the two major parties on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Tuesday showed their willingness to peacefully resolve the standoff.

On the eve of the opening of the second round of "Beijing Six-party Talks", a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings were held.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan(L) ahead of the six-party talks on Wednesday. [Reuters]

The talks involve delegates from China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korean (ROK), Russia and Japan.

Kim Kye-gwan, deputy foreign minister of the DPRK, said Tuesday in his meeting with Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi that the DPRK is willing to show flexibility and strive for concrete results in the new round of talks.

Reiterating the US' stance on peaceful resolution to the continuing standoff, Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, also head of the US delegation, told Wang that the US is willing to seek common ground and be patient in the upcoming talks, said sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Lee Soo-hyuck and Mitoji Yabunaka, heads of the delegations from the ROK and Japan told Wang during separate talks that they will work actively to strengthen co-ordination with all parties to work towards a successful meeting.

Wang emphasized that the second round of talks will touch on "substantial topics."

He said that though there are a lot of difficulties ahead, China hopes that the parties will respect each other and move closer to each other so as to make progress.

Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo met delegations to the talks and held a welcome dinner Tuesday evening, calling all parties to have equal, rational and calm consultations so as to build up mutual trust and expand common ground gradually.

Analysts held out hope of some progress, saying that consultations among parties and their expressions showed "good signs."

Liu Jiangyong, an expert with the Institute of International Studies of Tsinghua University told China Daily that there is no chance for a war since all concerned parties have maintained that "conversation" rather than "confrontation" is the best avenue to resolve the nuclear issue.

The continuation of the second round of six-party talks demonstrates that a channel for further negotiations has been forged, and that in itself is a major achievement after arduous diplomacy by members of the international community, said Liu.

However, a senior researcher with the Chinese government think-tank Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Fan Jishe, worries that the issue "goes longer and gets harder".

He said the root of the nuclear issue derives from the shadow of the Cold War in the Korean Peninsula and the deadlock is the lack of mutual trust between the US and DPRK.

"The nuclear issue is very complicated and acute, and it is impossible to solve all problems through one or two talks. Some difficulties may arise during negotiations," he said.

Every step forward needs some "give-and-take" from concerned parties, especially from the DPRK and the US.

"Only when they (DPRK and the US) see hope, they will make compromises," he said.

China, who hosted the first round of six-party talks last August, Tuesday called for all parties to "fully show their sincerity and flexibility" in the new round talks.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Tuesday that China hopes the six-party talks will be continued as a mechanism that serves the interests of all parties concerned.

She said such a mechanism currently is the most realistic way to push for a resolution of the issue.

China hopes that the talks will bear fruits and continue to be held in the future, she said.

Meanwhile, she stressed that non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the security concerns of relevant countries should be equally addressed.

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