Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan said Thursday the ongoing six-party talks had entered a pivotal phase of discussing abolishing nuclear programs, safeguarding security and enhancing economic cooperation.

Tang made the remarks while meeting with delegation heads and related foreign diplomatic envoys to Beijing.

Liu Jianchao, member of the Chinese delegation to the multilateral negotiation, said at a news briefing that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) put forward a proposal to completely stop nuclear program at the morning session Thursday.

The message Liu transferred was echoed by Russian chief delegate Alexander Losiukov.

The Russian deputy foreign minister said the DPRK agreed to abolish nuclear weapons program while retaining its peaceful nuclear program, with a precondition that the United States gave an assurance of non-aggression and respect for DPRK sovereignty.

A DPRK official said, in the first public comment from the country Thursday evening outside its embassy in Beijing, that they had proposed to freeze all nuclear programs.

The DPRK's proposal to freeze nuclear weapons program as the first-phase measures to hit the goal should be followed by corresponding measures (adopted by the United States), he said.

However, the spokesman said, the United States, disregarding DPRK's flexible stance, has, as always, insisted on its hard-line position that only after the DPRK abolishes all the nuclear programs, including those for peaceful purposes, could the DPRK proposal be put to discussion.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said all parties welcomed the DPRK's proposal of a comprehensive stop of nuclear activities, which is a necessary step for dismantling of its nuclear program.

At a separate news briefing, Lee Soo-hyuck, chief negotiator from the Republic of Korea (ROK) side, said China and Russia agreed to join the ROK to offer energy aid to the DPRK, in return for freezing of the nuclear weapons program.

"If there is an agreement on the energy aid issue," Liu said, "China is willing to offer energy aid."

There was no confirmation from either the US or Japanese side, neither of which arranged news briefings at press time.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a routine news briefing that the atmosphere of Thursday's meeting was "constructive and practical."

She said the four-hour meeting mainly focused on detailed measures for realizing a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula.

"China hopes to see the peaceful talks mechanism carry on," Zhang said.

A spokesman with the ROK delegation also confirmed that the negotiation Thursday morning was "not bad."

Zhang said, "all parties concerned are making efforts to try to fix existing consensus in written form." But she refused to give any prediction.

Losiukov said the Russian side hopes to have a written document that embodies the DPRK's pledges for abandonment of the nuclear weapons program as well as a US assurance for DPRK's security.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who heads the Chinese delegation, said the talks was "substantial".

"The differences were gradually narrowed down and consensus grew," Wang said.

Wang urged all parties to "keep patience, show flexibility and overcome difficulties so as to push forward the talks."

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2004)