Six-party talks open, focusing on denuclearization road map

BEIJING—The second phase of the sixth round of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue opened here on Thursday to decide the action plan in the next stage, a Chinese envoy said.
“We have made positive and effective preparations for this session,” said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, head of the Chinese delegation for the six-party talks. A meeting of delegation heads had been held to review the implementation of initial actions, and they had effective communication and coordination on the action plan in the next stage, Wu said.
“In accordance with the consensus of the delegation heads meeting, five working groups have conducted meetings in succession and discussed action plans in their respective fields,” Wu said. All parties had maintained close consultation on the issues of common concern, he said. “With joint efforts of all parties, the six-party talks are developing along the right track,” Wu said.
He expected all parties to observe the principle of mutual benefit, seize the main theme of the session, overcome existing difficulties and obstacles, and push the talks smoothly to a new stage.
The negotiators also reviewed the progress reports presented by the five working groups on the topics of denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula, economic and energy cooperation, the peace and security mechanism in northeast Asia, normalization of U.S. and Japan relations with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Chinese delegation spokesman Qin Gang told reporters at a news briefing.
The six parties agreed to, based on the principle of “action for action”, implement the 9.19 Joint Statement on the denuclearization process and a joint document issued at the six-party talks on Feb. 13 in a “comprehensive”, “balanced” and “phase by phase” manner.
They agreed to provide the DPRK with 450,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and energy equipment equal to 500,000 tons of heavy fuel oil, Qin said.
Qin said all parties voiced commitments to reinforcing mutual trust and safeguarding the peace and security mechanism in northeast Asia. The United States and the DPRK reaffirmed their promises made in the two joint documents on the normalization of DPRK-U.S. relations and Japan also reiterated its willingness to normalize relations with the DPRK.
DPRK top envoy Kim Kye-gwan said the DPRK would continue efforts to improve its relations with the United States and Japan, Qin added. Negotiators signed the initial actions during the fifth round of the Six-Party Talks on Feb. 13. The six countries — the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia — started negotiations in August 2003.
The landmark Feb. 13 agreement says the DPRK must declare all nuclear programs and disable all existing nuclear facilities, including graphite-moderated reactors and its post-treatment plant, and other parties must provide a total of 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid the the DPRK, with the initial shipment of 50,000 tons. The first phase of the sixth round of talks was held in March this year in Beijing, which was concluded with a chairman’s statement. Top negotiators to the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a new round of discussions to be started on Thursday.
U.S. envoy Christopher Hill arrived in Beijing Wednesday evening and had a dinner with Kim Kye Gwan, top negotiator of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), who arrived here Tuesday morning. “We discussed the general terms and aspirations for the six-party meeting,” Hill told reporters after his meal with Kim Kye Gwan.
“Frankly, we had a good discussion of all issues. but we are going to follow it up with some detailed discussions tomorrow as part of the bilateral process,” he said.—Xinhua