• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

NK Agrees to Hold 6-Party Talks Early Next Year

2003-12-29

North Korea has agreed to take part in a new round of six-way nuclear talks on its nuclear program early next year, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday (Dec. 27).

"North Korea has already agreed to hold a new round of six-way talks early next year," Wang said after a two-day visit to North Korea.

"The exact timing will be discussed by the six parties concerned," he said, adding more preparation is needed before the talks actually materialize.

The North's Foreign Ministry confirmed the development made during Wang's meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju.

The chief Chinese delegate to the six-way talks did not meet National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il.

"The two sides recognized the important role the second round of six-way talks could play and agreed to work towards a swift resumption of talks," an unidentified spokesperson said according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency Saturday.

Wang's apparent success in convincing Pyongyang to come to the talks soon come amid increasing worry by Seoul and others in the six-way talks that the momentum of talks may be lost if the lull drags on.

China around Dec. 11 drafted a new proposal of a joint statement for the second six-way talks after an earlier one made jointly by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo was rebuffed by North Korea.

In the meantime, senior officials of South Korea, China and Japan on Sunday started two-day talks on mutual issues.

Fu Ying, head of Asian affairs at Beijing's Foreign Ministry, and Mitoji Yabunaka, director-general of Asian and Oceanian affairs at Tokyo's Foreign Ministry, met with their South Korean counterpart Chung Sang-ki, director-general of Asia-Pacific Affairs Bureau.

The meeting was mainly held to work out details of a trilateral committee to coordinate cooperation projects between the three countries, agreed during South Korea-China-Japan summit meeting in Bali, Indonesia in October.

The three sides agreed that the three foreign ministers will become chief delegates for the three-way committee, meeting annually or biannually to check progress on environmental and economic projects undertaken jointly.

The diplomats also discussed joint strategy for the next six-way talks. Fu and Yabunaka will meet separately today with Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck, the man in charge of negotiations with North Korea at the six-party talks.

Source : www.korea.net