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Six-party talks convene with mixed hopes
(chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies)
Updated: 2004-02-25 14:44
After half a year of of shuttle diplomacy, envoys from six states seeking to
resolve the North Korean nuclear issue opened talks in Beijing Wednesday
morning.
The delegates from the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK), South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, took
their places at a hexagonal table and one after the other outlined their
positions.
In the opening remarks, China's vice foreign minister Wang Yi said: "All
sides now expect to discuss concrete problems and score concrete results in the
second round of talks, and the current round of talks will discuss detailed
goals, the first-phase measures for resolving the nuclear issue and study ways
to continue the talks process."
US Assistant Secretary of State and the US delegation Head James
Kelly reiterated that the United States has "no intention" to attack the
DPRK, while DPRK top negotiator Kim Kye-gwan described the talks as
"an important opportunity" for progress.
U.S.President George W. Bush said last fall that the United States and other
parties concerned will provide security guarantee to the DPRK and has no
intention to invade or attack the DPRK, Kelly said, adding that it is still the
policy of the United States.
"The United States seeks complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantlement
of all North Korea’s nuclear programs, both plutonium and uranium," Assistant
Kerry added.
DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said the second round of talks will
chart the course for resolving the nuclear issue in the future. To this end,
the DPRK will adhere to principles while showing flexibility in the
six-party talks.
Kim hoped sincere efforts made by all sides can produce "a positive result"
in the second round of talks.
North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim
Gye-gwan (L) and US delegation head, Assistant Secretary of State James
Kelly (R) attend the opening session of the second round of six-party
talks in Beijing, Feb. 25, 2004. [Xinhua] |
"The relaunching of the six-party talks demonstrated the common aspiration of
all sides to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue, " he said.
"We hope that disagreement between each party can be narrowed as much as
possible and the stalemate between North Korea and the United States can be
resolved through dialogue."
Other involving countries also express their stance at the opening
session.
Head of the South Korean delegation, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Trade Lee Soo-Hyuck, called on all parties to adopt an earnest and tolerant
attitude to expand their consensus to realize denuclearization on the Korean
Peninsula.
Head of the Japanese delegation Mitoji Yabunaka said Japan is
ready to make active contribution to achieving substantial progress of the
talks, have conducive discussions with all relevant parties and welcome all
proposals and opinions raised at the talks.
Head of the Russian
delegation and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losiukov said the
resolution of the nuclear issue will be a long-drawn process and entails
compromise and patience from all sides, and the Russian side wants to reiterate
that the ultimate goal of the talks is to guarantee peace, security and
cooperation on the basis of a nuclear-free Korean
Peninsula.
The
first session ended early Wednesday afternoon with no immediate statement of
progress.
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