All negotiators in six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula
nuclear issue arrived in Beijing over the last two days for the
fifth round, which is scheduled to start today.
The South Korean delegation arrived on Monday, and the other
delegations – Japanese, North Korean, Russian and US – got here
yesterday.
Kenichiro Sasae, head of the Japanese delegation, said yesterday
that Japan is particularly interested in the implementation of the
agreement already reached by all sides, especially the process of
denuclearization.
Japan will also express its views on future actions in the
talks, he noted.
US chief negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters upon his
arrival that the first step would be to see how agreements and
principles can be put into practice.
South Korea's chief negotiator Song Min-soon said on Monday
afternoon that the upcoming talks would lay the groundwork for
carrying out the first joint statement reached during the last
round.
"There will be intensive consultations in this round of the
six-party talks," Song told Xinhua News Agency.
China hosted four rounds of six-party talks with the latest one
adopting the first joint statement in September this year.
North Korea pledged in the statement to abandon all nuclear
weapons and existing nuclear programs and return to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, in exchange for energy
aid and security guarantees.
The fifth
round is expected to discuss how to follow through on the
statement.
Kim Gye-gwan, head of the North Korea delegation, said at
Pyongyang's Sun-an Airport before departure that "North Korea
cherishes the joint statement formed in the previous round. We are
willing to make sincere efforts at this round of the talks to
fulfill the spirit of the joint statement."
Russia's chief negotiator Alexander Alexeyev said upon arrival
in Beijing that Russia will cooperate with North Korea in a bid for
a substantial result.
The fifth round of talks is expected to last for three days in
its first phase.
(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2005)