Face-to-face Talk Better Than Mediation: Commentary

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 20, 2003

Face-to-face Talk Better Than Mediation: Commentary

Despite positive results achieved so far through diplomatic meditation by the international community, face-to-face dialogue between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains the key to solving the DPRK nuclear issue, said a commentary by the People's Daily on Wednesday.

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Since the Korean nuclear issue resurfaced in October last year, the situation has escalated step by step, the tense situation in the Korean Peninsula has become worse. The international community has carried out frequent diplomatic mediations for peacefully solving the Korean nuclear issue.

Up to now, delegations from Australia, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Indonesia have visited Pyongyang, consultations conducted by the parties concerned around the Korean nuclear question have been even more frequent.

Although definite results have been achieved in various diplomatic mediations, mediation, however, is not as good as face-to-face talk. To seek the quickest and proper solution of the Korean nuclear issue, the most fundamental way is for the parties concerned, especially the two sides of Korea and the United States, to realize direct dialogs as quickly as possible.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Council passed a resolution on February 12, pointing out that Korea has "violated" the "Safeguard Supervision Agreement" concluded by the Agency and Korea in accordance with the "Treaty on Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons", deciding to report, through the IAEA director-general, the related situation to all member states of the IAEA, the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) and UN General Assembly. Korea denounced this move as "an act of interfering in Korea's internal affairs".

Chinese permanent representative Ambassador Zhang Yan to the Vienna United Nations and other international organizations stressed that the resolution adopted by IAEA Council only requires to report the Korean nuclear issue to the Security Council in line with the Agency's stipulations.

It is China's view that the key to solving the Korean nuclear issue lies in direct dialogs among the parties concerned, involvement of the Security Council at the moment is not necessarily conducive to the solution of the issue. At present, the international community should actively encourage and urge the parties concerned to start dialogs at an early date.

China also expects that the countries concerned would, proceeding from the general situation of safeguarding world as well as regional peace and stability, take the first step toward direct dialogs on their own initiative, so as to create conditions and atmosphere for the political settlement of the Korean nuclear issue.

The crux of the Korean nuclear matter is to ensure denuclearization of the Peninsula, at the same time, it is necessary to solve the question of Korea's security concern and energy supply. What is required of the parties concerned is dialog and not confrontation, is sincere consultations in a calm state of mind, not mutual censures in the way of battle of words.

Currently, although there still exist some differences between Korea and the United States, people have noticed that the Korean side has repeatedly indicated its willingness to conduct equal and just dialogs with the US side, the American side has also expressed its wishes to carry out dialogs with the Korean side, therefore there exist room and possibility for the solution of the problem.

On the Korean nuclear question, China has its own clear-cut stand, that is, supporting the denuclearization of the Peninsula, safeguarding peace and stability in the Peninsula and solving the problem by peaceful means through dialogs. This proposition has won general support and endorsement worldwide. So long as the parties concerned cherish such sincerity and work perseveringly toward this goal, it is possible to solve differences and reach understandings step by step.

At present, the Korean nuclear issue is still in the process of change. The parties concerned should continue to exercise restraint and avoid taking actions that might lead to the further escalation of the situation. Otherwise, it will further intensify contradictions and complicate the problem instead of helping solve the problem.

Only by conducting dialogs on an equal footing and seeking common ground while reserving differences is it conducive to ironing out differences and easing the tense situation. Considering the past and present situation of the Korean nuclear issue, we think that this issue can only be resolved politically by peaceful means. The only effective and practicable way to solve the Korean nuclear issue is for the parties concerned to conduct sincere and pragmatic direct dialogs on an equal basis.

By People's Daily Online

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