China to propose next round six party talks at appropriate time

BEIJING—China will propose to convene the next round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue at an appropriate time, said a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman here Thursday. Addressing a press briefing, spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the six-party talks process had witnessed some progress in recent days, which demonstrated the political willingness of all parties to overcome difficulties and move ahead with negotiations.
China will propose holding the next round of six-party talks according to the progress of consultations among parties concerned, she said. The six-party talks involve China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan and Russia. Disagreement over the DPRK’s declaration of its nuclear facilities, which was due by the end of last year, has deadlocked the talks.
Washington had accused Pyongyang of having a secret program to enrich uranium for weapons and nuclear proliferation and wanted those issues to be addressed in the declaration. The DPRK denied these charges. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met with the DPRK’s Vice Foreign Minister, Kim Kye Gwan, in Singapore earlier this month. Both sides believed the meeting had moved the process forward to resolve the disarmament impasse on the Korean Peninsula. China said on Thursday that conditions for holding a new round of meetings among the chief negotiators to the six-party nuclear talks were maturing, with all parties being positive toward the meeting.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu made these comments in response to a media question about the talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. The talks are hosted by China and include the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan and Russia. Jiang said that China would maintain contact and coordination with the relevant parties and commit itself to push ahead the process and implement the stated commitments. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei met with the heads of the five other parties on Wednesday and all agreed to advance the talks as soon as possible, she said.
Jiang said that both the DPRK and the United States had informed China that they had reached a consensus on the relevant issues on the nuclear declaration. “We all believe this is a positive outcome, which helps to advance the talks. China expresses appreciation of the patient dialogue between the DPRK and the United States to address their common concerns,” she added. Disagreement over the DPRK’s nuclear declaration, which was due by the end of last year, has deadlocked the six-nation nuclear talks. Washington had accused Pyongyang of having a secret program to enrich uranium for weapons and nuclear proliferation and wanted those issues to be addressed in the declaration. The DPRK denied these charges.

—Xinhua