Six-party talks see 'certain consensus': Chinese official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 26, 2004

Six-party talks see 'certain consensus': Chinese official

The first day of the second round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue have seen "certain consensus" reached among delegations, although disparities remain. Liu Jianchao, deputy director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Information Department, described the atmosphere of the first-day session talks as "calm and down-to-earth".

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The first day of the second round of six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue have seen "certain consensus" reached among delegations, although disparities remain.

The talks, participated by China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, opened at 9:00 am Wednesday in Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the same venue hosted the first round of the talks last August.

Liu Jianchao, deputy director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Information Department, described the atmosphere of the first-day session talks as "calm and down-to-earth".

In their opening remarks, heads of the delegations expounded their respective positions on resolving the nuclear issue.

Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the six parties' gathering in Beijing represented the strong political aspiration for peace of the governments of the six nations.

"We come to the talks to expand our common ground, not to highlight our differences; to settle problems, not to escalate conflict," Wang said.

Kim Kye-gwan, deputy foreign minister of the DPRK, said the second round of talks is an important opportunity to decide the direction of the six-party talks and the DPRK will insist on principles, exercise flexibility and cooperate well.

James Kelly, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, crediting the talks as a reliable channel to solve the nuclear issue, promised that the US side will be devoted to resolving the issue through diplomatic means and hopes the talks can achieve concrete progress to lay foundation for further process.

Lee Soo-Hyuck, ROK's deputy foreign minister, Mitoji Yabunaka, director-general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Alexander Losiukov, Russian deputy foreign minister, all expressed hopes that the parties will further expand common ground with sincere attitudes and the talks will yield positive results.

During the four-and-a-half-hour morning meeting, all sides agreed that a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is in the interest of all nations involved and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia, according to Liu Jianchao.

The realization of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula was a very big concept, which meant absolutely no nuclear weapons on the peninsula, Liu said.

All the parties had shown "a very open attitude", Liu said, adding that they all agreed that the key issue was keeping the Korean Peninsula really free of nuclear weapons.

The parties also agreed that the reasonable concerns of each side should be addressed in an appropriate way, he said.

They all agreed that no matter how difficult the talks could be,the process should continue, Liu said.

All sides agreed to take concerted and coordinated steps to resolve the nuclear issue on the penninsula and address concerns of relevant sides, he said.

China hoped for "a good document" to be agreed at the second round of six-party talks, said the deputy director-general.

According to previous information revealed by the Republic of Korea (ROK) delegation head Lee Soo-Hyuck, the Democratic People'sRepublic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States delegations had their first bilateral consultations in the second round of the six-party talks.

In-depth discussions needed

In-depth discussions are needed to resolve the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, Liu Jianchao said.

In response to a question on what is the crucial problem of the Korean nuclear issue at a news briefing, Liu said the issue of keeping the Korean Peninsula nuclear weapon-free and the security concern of the countries concerned are interrelated, which should be taken into consideration and settled appropriately during the talks.

Acknowledging that these issues are very complicated, Liu said all parties should have in-depth discussions on how to tackle these issues and on what measures to be taken.

When asked to comment on the first-phase measures, Liu noted that one topic of the talks facing all the parties present is to set forth the goal of building a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula and also to discuss when to take the first step in this regard.

All the relevant issues will continued to be dealt with in the next few days, Liu said.

Working group crucial for talks

All parties to the six-party talks agreed that it is crucial to set up a working group to continue the talks, said Liu.

The deputy director-general said that the parties concerned suggested the establishment of such a working group during the talks and that some detailed issues will be discussed in future talks.

When asked when to end the present round of talks, Liu said that its closing date had not been fixed and the duration of the talks hinges on the talks' progress.

All parties earnest, practical, frank

Delegates to the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue have been earnest, practical and frank in their speeches and the second round of talks had entered a stage of substantial discussions.

He said China opposed the practice of sanctions, blockades and pressure on the issue. China is even more opposed to the use or threat of force.

Liu said Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi had explained China's principled stance of working to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the North Asian region.

He said China always hoped the issue would be solved through dialogue and peaceful means.

Liu said such issues as the realization of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the elimination of the rational security concerns of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should be linked for a reasonable solution.

Liu said the first round of six-party talks served as good starting point for all parties who had maintained close consultations and contact. This helped deepen understanding of each other's stance and have a clearer vision of the problems ahead. Conditions had matured and a foundation had been laid for further progress.

The six parties participating the talks are China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan.

By People's Daily Online

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