China expects and believes that all parties concerned will continue their efforts to create a better atmosphere and conditions for the upcoming second round of six-party talks, said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo in Beijing Wednesday.  

Dai made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua Wednesday. The second round of the six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula, which involved China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, is scheduled to begin in Beijing on February 25.

The first round of six-party talks held in August 2003 in Beijing was an important step toward a peaceful solution to the Korean nuclear issue and was welcomed by the international community, said Dai.

The parties concerned have since insisted on peacefully resolving the issue through dialogue and made unswerving efforts to convene a fresh round of talks at an early date, said Dai, adding that all the preparatory work has made such progress that the date was finally set for February 25.

As reflected in consultations between China and other parties, all parties attach great importance to the second six-party talks and are willing to make efforts for the talks, said Dai.

Dai said all parties are open to topics for talks, including how to make the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free and how to address the security concerns of relevant countries.

All parties concerned have set about studying the possible questions that will crop up in the talks, and set forth some proposals, Dai said.

Dai said all parties agree that the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula is a complicated issue and a long-term process is needed to resolve the issue. Thus the process of peace talks should be continued, Dai added.

China has been working to maintain the process of peace talks and has conducted many beneficial consultations with the DPRK and the United States on various levels in order to reopen the six-party talks, said Dai, noting that the other parties concerned have also kept close contacts to coordinate their stances.

The international community unanimously hopes that the peace talks will be continued, said Dai, adding that the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and some other countries have also played an active role in pushing forward the talks.

China hopes the parties concerned will show adequate sincerity and carry out discussions in a productive way during the second six-party talks, said Dai. The parties concerned should also address other parties' concerns while raising their own propositions, Dai added.

China expects new consensus and arrangements will be achieved in the fresh round of talks, said Dai. All parties concerned hope to fix the consensus reached in the talks in the form of a joint document, and have made consultations in this regard and reached initial consensus, according to Dai.

China aims to have a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, maintain peace and stability on the peninsula, resolve questions peacefully through dialogue and address reasonable concerns of parties concerned, said Dai. China will pursue this stance, he said.

Dai described peace talks as the fundamental way to solve the Korean nuclear issue and the best choice for all parties concerned, which will be conducive to peace, stability and development of the region, Asia and the world at large, Dai said.

While the nuclear issue of Korean Peninsula is a complicated issue that could not be expected to be solved through one or two rounds of talks, China expects the parties concerned and the international community to have reasonable and practical expectations on the peace talks process, and expects the parties concerned to be patient and maintain the process whatever difficulties ahead, said Dai.

China believes that a peaceful solution to the issue through dialogue will be hopefully realized so long as the parties concerned continue to make positive efforts in the peace talks process, Dai said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2004)