South Korea Assesses Six-party Nuclear Talks Positively

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, August 31, 2003

South Korea Assesses Six-party Nuclear Talks Positively

South Korea's government and political parties expressed positive views Saturday over the just ended six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing.

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South Korea's government and political parties expressed positive views Saturday over the just ended six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing.

The three-day multilateral meeting attended by China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, South Korea, Russia and Japan concluded Friday.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's National Security AdvisorRa Jong-il said he was "optimistic" about the future of the dialogue.

"(The parties) reached a tacit agreement to hold a new round of talks in Beijing, and I'm confident that it will convene within two months," the advisor told local SBS radio.

The senior advisor also commented that the DPRK announcement that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and wants de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula during the Beijing talks was a "remarkable progress."

Ra also noted Washington's "flexible" attitude toward Pyongyang and willingness to resolve the nuclear issue within a multilateral framework.

"The United States appears to concur that nuclear issues shouldbe tackled gradually and simultaneously," he added.

Moreover, Ban Ki-moon, the presidential Advisor for Foreign Policy, highly commented on Pyongyang's commitment to the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"The talks produced a framework for complete and peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue," Ban said, adding that the talks were significant in that all the countries agreed on a nuclear free peninsula.

Ban was hopeful for more progress in the next round of talks, which is expected to be held as early as October, saying there is no need to be disappointed as differences could be worked out in the days ahead.

Ban also pointed out that the Beijing multilateral talks are just the first part of a long process toward a peaceful resolution of the nuclear dispute erupted last October.

South Korean political parties also positively assessed the outcome of the talks while expressing regret at the absence of a joint statement.

They called on the government to be fully ready for follow-up multilateral talks by closely considering each nation's stance during the next round of Beijing negotiations.

"The countries clearly expressed their positions and listened carefully to each other's speeches, laying the ground for a peaceful solution of the nuclear issue," Moon Seok-ho, spokesman for the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, said in a statement.

"Although there are mixed assessments of the outcome of the talks, the government should closely examine each country's position and be fully prepared for the next round of talks," he added.

The nuclear standoff lasted for some ten months since late last year when the United States claimed Pyongyang had a secret nuclear program.

The US, the DPRK and China held a trilateral talks in Beijing in April. And Pyongyang agreed to hold multilateral talks early August.

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