A senior Chinese official said on Thursday that the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula requires patience and wisdom, and the international community has reached consensus that a negotiated peaceful solution is the only right choice.

China has been making positive diplomatic efforts to push for dialogues and negotiations and seek effective ways to a peaceful settlement of the issue, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yan said in Vienna at the meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In August China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States held the first round of the six-party talks in Beijing, kick-starting the negotiated process for a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue.     

With joint efforts by the parties concerned, the situation is developing toward a positive direction. The aim of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula has been set, the negotiated process has been initiated and a package solution has gained extensive appreciation, said Zhang.

Zhang noted that the DPRK and the United States have demonstrated some flexibility recently.

On Nov. 16, the DPRK Foreign Ministry said the DPRK is willing to take into consideration "written security assurances" from the United States if the United States scraps its hostile policy toward the DPRK. The foreign ministry also declared that the DPRK is ready to abandon in practice its nuclear program under certain conditions.

Zhang said the statement by the DPRK indicated the DPRK's sincerity and the international community should welcome this development and encourage the parties concerned to hold discussions over substantial issues.

He believed that the aim of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula will be realized and peace and stability in East Asia will be maintained if the parties involved respect the reasonable concerns of each other when addressing their own concerns.

The senior Chinese official also hoped that the parties concerned will narrow their differences and broaden common grounds, so as to create a conducive environment for the next round of the six-party talks.

The two-day meeting of the Board of Governors of the IAEA began on Thursday with the nuclear issues of Iran and the DPRK topping its agenda.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2003)