Senior diplomats from China and?South Korea met in Beijing
Friday, striving to promote the six-party talks on the Korean
Peninsula nuclear issue toward reaching agreement.
Chinese State Councilor Tang
Jiaxuan told visiting South Korean?Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-Moon that the fourth round of six-party
talks has "entered a new stage of substantial negotiation" and made
"positive progress."
The recession of the talks, from last weekend to the last week
of this month, is set for better preparation for achieving more
fruits, said Tang, who is also former Chinese Foreign Minister.
Tang said he hopes all sides will maintain contact and
coordination, study hard on how to narrow difference and facilitate
the talks for more progress.
Ban told Tang that South Korea will keep cooperation with China
in a bid to consolidate the achieved results and contribute to the
next stage of talks.
Ban also held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing on Friday, according to diplomatic sources, who
declined to give more details.
Ban told a press briefing after the talks with Li that South
Korea and China both regarded the first stage of the talks has made
great progress.
However, all concerned sides still need to discuss the
right?of North Korea to peaceful use of nuclear energy,
according to Ban.
The six-party talks involve China, North Korea, the United
States, South Korea, Russia and Japan.
?
(Xinhua News Agency August 13, 2005)