Positions of delegations to six-party talks

The resumed six-party talks entered the third day on Thursday. The following are newly-stated positions of the delegations of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan.

The Chinese delegation:

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that China will, as before, hold in-depth consultations with concerned parties with a positive and pragmatic attitude.

Qin said the denulearization of the Korean Peninsula is a complex issue and requires both patience and flexibility.

The DPRK delegation:

DPRK delegation spokesman Hyun Hak Bong said Thursday that the major stumbling block to the talks is the issue of providing a light-water reactor.

"Providing a light-water reactor is a matter of building trust," said Hyun, adding it is "a problem related to the United States' political will to give up its hostile policy towards the DPRK."

The US delegation:

Chief US negotiator Hill Christopher has rejected the DPRK's demand for a light-water nuclear reactor, saying that the issue was not included in the fourth draft of a common document.

"The light-water reactor for us is a non-starter," Hill said Thursday.

On Wednesday night, he made it clear that neither the United States nor any other party is prepared to fund the construction of a light-water reactor.

The ROK delegation:

ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Thursday in New York that the ROK believes that all parties share the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

He said the DPRK must abandon all nuclear weapons and programs and return to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accept the inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Meanwhile, the DPRK should have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear power after it regains trust from the international community, he said.

The Japanese delegation:

Japanese chief negotiator Kenichiro Sasae said Thursday that the DPRK should give up all its nuclear weapons and programs and DPRK's demand for a light water reactor is unacceptable.

Sasae said that if concerned parties cannot agree on the light-water reactor issue, it is very hard to reach a common document.

The second delegation heads' meeting held Thursday was a "very difficult" meeting and the stances between concerned parties remained "far apart," he added.

The Russian delegation:

Russian delegation head Alexander Alexeyev has maintained that the DPRK has the right to peaceful nuclear utilization.

Before coming for the talks, Alexeyev said in Moscow that the DPRK can expect cooperation from other countries on nuclear energy if it returns to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the JoongAng Ilbo daily newspaper of the ROK reported.

Source: Xinhua