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Nuke talks resume on hopeful note

By Jiao Xiaoyang (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-11 06:46

The Six-Party Talks resumed in Beijing Thursday with hopes of finding a way of verifying the nuclear documents of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

China's chief negotiator Wu Dawei said the DPRK's recent positive steps show the talks are yielding results.

"All of us are meeting for the same strategic goal to see the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free and normalization of relations between countries.

Envoys to the Six-Party Talks (from left), US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, DPRK'S Kim Kye-gwan, Russia's Alexei Borodavkin, Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, ROK'S Kim Sook and Japan's Akitaka Saiki, join hands in a symbolic gesture before negotiiations began in Beijing July 10, 2008. [Agencies]

"All these difficulties and successes have led us to believe that if we work together with sincerity, stick to the guidelines . and honor our commitments, the strategic goal will definitely be realized," said Wu, who is also vice-foreign minister.

The three-day talks are being held after the DPRK handed over its nuclear declaration and blew up a cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear facility last month.

In response, the US has said it would remove the DPRK from its list of states sponsoring terrorism and ease economic sanctions. That paved the way for the resumption of the talks, which also involve Japan, Russia and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Related readings:  Bilateral meetings pave way for new Six-Party Talks  US urged to take substantial action for Six-Party Talks  Six-Party Talks achieve 'significant progress'

Pyongyang has been urging the US to fulfill its promise of economic help and political compensation. "The DPRK is ready to cooperate in verifying the nuclear declaration, but the basic principle of 'action for action' should be observed," the DPRK foreign ministry said in a statement.

The US has insisted that verification of the DPRK's declaration is vital to the new round of talks, which may also discuss complete abandonment of the program.

Earlier, US Assistant Secretary of State and chief negotiator Christopher Hill, however, said that even after an agreement on the verification process is reached, the verification itself "will take several weeks or even months, actually".

Hill met with DPRK chief negotiator Kim Kye-gwan soon after he reached Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, and said verification of denuclearization, including documents, site visits and interviews, would be a focal point at the talks.

Some basic agreements on the process include interviews with DPRK officials and site visits, Hill said. "There are a lot of details that need to be fleshed out."

After meeting with Hill and Wu on Wednesday, the ROK chief negotiator Kim Sook said he felt neither "optimistic" nor "pessimistic" about the latest round of talks and all sides needed to consider the issues with a cool head.

He said he would urge Japan to become part of the economic and energy aid program too.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, however, reiterated Tokyo's stance of no energy aid till progress was made on the abduction of Japanese nationals.

Xinhua contributed to the story