At a press conference held Friday afternoon following the six-party talks, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also China's chief negotiator to the talks, said the six parties have reached the following six-point consensus on the Korean nuclear issue:
- to resolve the nuclear issue through peaceful means and dialogue. They stressed that the stability and long-term peace should be maintained on the Korean Peninsula;
- while nuclear-free of the Korean Peninsula should be realized, the security concerns of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should also be taken into consideration;
- to explore an overall plan to resolve the nuclear issue in a just and reasonable manner;
- in the process of negotiations any action that may aggravate the situation should be avoided;
- dialogue should continue to establish trust, reduce differences and broaden common ground;
- the six-party talks should continue and the specific date and venue should be decided through diplomatic channels as soon as possible.
Wang said the six-point consensus demonstrated the spirit of understanding and cooperation, and laid a solid and necessary foundation for the next round of talks.
China thinks the talks are useful, and marked an important step towards the peaceful solution of the nuclear issue, he said. China is satisfied with the common grounds reached at the six-party talks.
Wang said the talks had set the goal for nuclear-free of the Korean Peninsula, started the process of peaceful cooperation and reached unanimous view on the parallel or simultaneous format of talks to be held, thus laying necessary ground for the continuation of the talks.
Wang said the Chinese side regards the talks as conducive and an important step forward for a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue.
The six-party talks constitute a historical opportunity for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue, Wang said.
The stands of all parties attending the Beijing six-party talks are "positive", and all parties attending the talks share many common views, Wang said.
China always insists, Wang said, that while the peninsula is kept nuclear free, Pyongyang's reasonable security concerns should be addressed, which might be helpful to peace and security in longer term.
China is happy to see its advocacy on the nuclear issue has been understood, at various degrees, by various parties, Wang said.
With regard to what Pyongyang's reasonable security concerns are and how to deal with them, China suggested discussing them on the next step, Wang said.
The most urgent matter at present is to keep the dialogue momentum and make the Beijing talks process to continue, Wang pointed out.
He said the Korean nuclear issue has a very complicated historical background and the solution to this issue requires a process, most probably a twisting process.
However, Wang said, so long as all parties have the political will and sincerity, a solution to this issue can be realized completely.
What is important is attitude and means to be taken to solve the issue, noted Wang, saying that the Chinese side always supports a peaceful resolution to the disputes through dialogues.
The international community, including China, opposes the DPRK to own nuclear weapons, Wang claimed.
When asked how the six-party talks will be affected if DPRK undertakes nuclear experiment and declares it a nuclear country, Wang said China is not willing to view the depicted situation.
A nuclear-free peninsula is in line with the basic interest of the people there and is conducive to the peace and stability in Northeast Asia and the world, he said.
He noted that safeguarding the peninsula's peace and stability is China's basic principle in dealing with peninsula affairs, and the United States also hopes the peninsula will maintain stability.
China is willing to work with the United States and all other nations dedicated to security on the peninsula to safeguard the region's peace and stability.
According to Wang, the DPRK has made its official stance clear in the six-party talks that "it is not DPRK's objective to own nuclear weapons".
To safeguard peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region, the international community, including China, disfavors nuclear programs on the peninsula, Wang said.
During the Beijing six-party talks, the DPRK indicated that it is willing to give up its nuclear plans, Wang added.
The DPRK is willing to peacefully coexist with the United States as long as the US side changes its policy towards the DPRK and stops threatening the DPRK, stressed Wang.
The DPRK longs for peace and the nuclear-free of the Korean peninsula is the objective of the DPRK, he stressed.
The six-party talks have been held to make the parties involved have a full, detailed and accurate understanding of each other's positions and thus lay a basis for future talks, Wang noted.
He said this was the first time for the six parties to get together, and only after a full understanding of one another's positions can they work together to seek solutions to the problem.
There is no time for the parties to discuss specific issues, he said, adding that specific solutions to the Korean nuclear issue will be left to future talks.
Before relevant specific solutions were pursued, the basic direction of how to resolve the issue should be set, the vice minister said.
When asked to comment about Japan's stance that the kidnapping issue should be solved together with the nuclear issue, Wang said China hopes that Japan and the DPRK solve the issue of kidnapped Japanese through talks. This is an unsettled case between Japan and the DPRK.
According to Wang, The DPRK and the United States contacted each other during the six-party talks and their meeting lasted about 40 minutes.
He said he believes that the DPRK and the United States have enhanced their understanding through the contact.
The Chinese side has always been working for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue, and China's efforts would not yield any result if there is no support from other parties, added Wang.
Wang said the concerns of the United States, the DPRK and other parties should be addressed at the same time.
Both the United States and the DPRK put forward their demands and wishes at the six-party talks. Other parties also explained their positions and proposals.
As a result, a consensus has been reached that the concerns of relevant parties should be addressed simultaneously and in good order, he said.
Under the circumstances of severe distrust between the United States and the DPRK, to address the concerns simultaneously would be a practical and feasible approach, Wang stressed.
According to Wang, during the talks, the United States stressed that the Korean nuclear issue should be resolved through peaceful means. The United States said that it has no intention to threaten, invade or attack the DPRK.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency, August 29, 2003)
