China, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the US have stressed in
Seoul the importance of restarting six-party nuclear talks at an
early date, sources with the Foreign Ministry said on
Thursday.??
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei is currently visiting the ROK. He
met with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon,
Chairman of the National Security Council Chung Dong-young, and
held talks with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Lee
Tae-fik, and deputy foreign minister and chief negotiator to the
talks, Song Min-soon.
Both China and the ROK agreed that it is very important to hold
the next round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear
issue as soon as possible, sources said.
The two sides urged all involved to conduct earnest consultation
over achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and other security
issues, saying that it is beneficial for all to be involved in
bilateral dialogue within the framework of the talks.
Wu also exchanged views with US top nuclear negotiator
Christopher Hill in Seoul, sources said. Both sides said the
six-party talks are an effective channel to achieve a nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula and hoped they would restart soon.
Hill, US ambassador to the ROK and head delegate to the
six-party talks, said his country has no hostility towards the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and is ready to hold
earnest dialogue with Pyongyang within the framework of the
six-party talks and to discuss in detail any issue the DPRK is
concerned with.
Since August 2003, China, the US, the DPRK, Russia, the ROK and
Japan have held three rounds of talks in Beijing aimed at
peacefully resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang refused to attend the fourth round scheduled for last
September, citing hostile US policy.
The DPRK announced on February 10 that it was suspending
participation in the talks indefinitely and for the first time
admitted possessing nuclear arms for self-defense.
(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2005)