Japan and South Korea wrapped up two-day talks over a
long-standing territorial row with no breakthrough, but agreed to
meet again later this year, a news report said.
The two sides were negotiating boundaries around a set of rocky
islets claimed by both sides. The talks ended with no agreement and
the countries will hold another round of talks in Seoul in
September, Kyodo News agency reported.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of
anonymity citing ministry protocol, said the talks had ended but
refused to comment on the specifics of the negotiations.
The talks on the islands called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo
in Korean were the neighbors' first on the topic in six years. Both
sides want the islands as a basis to claim exclusive rights over
marine resources.
Earlier Tuesday, a senior Japanese official stressed the
importance of resolving the problem through talks.
"For the stable management of Japan and Korea relations it is
important to carry out constructive negotiations and resolve
problems through dialogue," said chief cabinet spokesman Shinzo
Abe.
The disputed islands lie roughly halfway between the two
countries and are currently controlled by South Korea, although
they also are claimed by Japan. They are surrounded by rich fishing
grounds and possible deposits of methane hydrate used to produce
natural gas.
On Monday, Seoul pushed for a more extensive exclusive economic
zone than it had claimed in previous talks, Kyodo News agency
reported after the talks. The report said Tokyo rejected Seoul's
claim.
Japanese officials refused to comment on the content of the
talks on Monday.
Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, coastal nations
can claim an economic zone extending 200 nautical miles (370
kilometers) from their shores.
(China Daily June 14, 2006)
