China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed Monday the major
impediment to the 21-month standoff over the nuclear issue on the
Korean Peninsula lies in a dispute over the US allegation that
Pyongyang has a highly enriched uranium-based nuclear weapons
programme, the Yonhap news agency said.
This news came after a meeting between China's ambassador on the
nuclear issue Ning Fukui and his ROK counterpart Cho Tae-yong
Monday in the ROK to co-ordinate a timetable and agenda for the
fourth round of six-party talks in September.
"I believe it is now time to have specific discussions on how to
call a working-level meeting and how to have a good fourth round of
talks," Ning told Cho before their closed-door meeting, according
to the news agency.
The Chinese envoy is scheduled to meet Lee Jong-seok, deputy
head of the secretariat of the ROK National Security Council,
before leaving for Japan today.
China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the
United States, ROK, Russia and Japan have held three rounds of
talks in Beijing aimed at realizing a nuclear weapon-free Korean
Peninsula while addressing the DPRK's security and energy
concerns.
Ning's visit comes after the US Special Envoy on Korean
Peninsula Affairs Joseph DeTrani held talks with Chinese
Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Ning in Beijing last week without
giving out any details, such as the exact time for the
working-level session which was reported might be held in the
middle of this month.
The six parties agreed in their last talks to meet again before
the end of September.
Wang said that the parties should hold a working meeting as soon
as possible to have in-depth discussions on how to implement the
first phase actions for nuclear dismantlement and on other concrete
issues, so as to take real steps towards denuclearization on the
Korean Peninsula at the earliest date.
In Washington, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck is also
scheduled to meet US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly early
this week.
Deputy US Department of State spokesman Adam Ereli said on
Friday that the US side presented a serious proposal at the last
plenary. "We expect to get their response to our proposal at the
next plenary.
"We're not expecting a quick response and... we look forward to
the next plenary where we can continue to build on what we've
accomplished in the last three rounds," the spokesman said at a
regular briefing.
The nuclear issue erupted in October 2002 when US officials said
Pyongyang had admitted to a covert programme to enrich uranium for
nuclear weapons. Pyongyang has since denied such a programme.
(China Daily August 3, 2004)