The fourth round of six-party talks reconvened in Beijing Tuesday afternoon, but there is still little sign showing breakthrough could be made on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

As of Tuesday afternoon, chief negotiators of the six parties arrived in China's capital for the second phase of talks after five weeks of recess.

China chaired a chief delegates' meeting in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, indicating the formal restart of the talks. China also held one-on-one contacts with the other five parties respectively prior to the chief delegates' meeting.

While addressing the plenary meeting, Chinese delegation chief Wu Dawei urged the parties concerned to seek a balanced and win-win solution through flexible, pragmatic and constructive consultations so that the talks can make progress.

The six parties, including China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, agreed to put the talks into recess on Aug. 7 after 13-day consultations, failing to reach an agreement.

The stumbling block was whether Pyongyang be allowed for the right to have a civilian nuclear program.The DPRK insisted on the right while the United States wanted full dismantlement of its nuclear program. The five-week recess seems unable to soften their stances.

"The DPRK has the right on peaceful nuclear activity. This right is neither awarded nor needs to be approved by others," the DPRK delegation head Kim Gye-gwan told Xinhua in Pyongyang on Tuesday before traveling to Beijing for the talks.

"We have this right, and the more important thing is that we should use this right," Kim stressed, adding that "if the United States tries to set obstacle to the DPRK's using this right, we can utterly not accept that."

"This phase of six-party talks could be hard in view of the key differences between the DPRK and the United States," said Piao Jianyi, a professor with the Asia-Pacific Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

A flurry of diplomatic activities were conducted during the recess in a bid to iron out the differences.The DPRK and the United States maintained direct contacts via diplomatic channels.

"I know we have had two discussions within the New York channel, and I can't say really there has been progress," said chief US negotiator Christopher Hill upon his arrival Tuesday. "We will have a better idea about what the DPRK position is."

Hill came to Beijing aboard the same flight with the ROK delegation, which is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon.

"If the parties concerned do not soften their stances, it will be hard to achieve any progress" during the negotiation, Song said. "As far as the prospect is concerned, I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic."

However, the parties have agreed on the ultimate aim of denuclearization on the Korean peninsula and vowed to settle the issue through dialogue and negotiation.

Chinese delegation head Wu, also Chinese vice foreign minister, urged the parties concerned to exchange views on the goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and keep moving forward "based on the consensus that has been reached".

Kim Kye-gwan said Pyongyang is aimed for denuclearization of Korean

peninsula through dialogue, saying Pyongyang would attend the talks in a "sincere attitude" and "take flexibility when necessary".

The position of the DPRK on the nuclear issue is seen "to be evolving a little," US chief negotiator Christopher Hill said here Tuesday.

"I must tell you their (DPRK) position does seem to be evolving a little, and we will have a much better idea about it tonight or tomorrow," Hill told reporters.

The first three rounds of six-party talks ended inconclusively. The fourth round began in late July and then went into 5-week recess.

Source: Xinhua