As everyone knows, there are now two kinds of six-party talks in the world, with some similarities and differences. Both of them concern nuclear issues which all originate in Asia. One nuclear issue has emerged in North Korea, an East Asian country and is therefore known as the "Korean Peninsula nuclear issue". The other which has arisen in Iran, a West Asian country, has been labeled the "Iranian nuclear issue". As for areas where the six-party talks are held, the six countries in the Korean nuclear talks have chosen a fixed place, Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, also named "Beijing Six-party Talks" even though the six-party talks on Iranian nuclear issue were held in many different locations such as London, New York, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Vienna, etc.

The major difference between these six-party talks is the participant countries involved. China, U.S. and Russia participate in both kinds of nuclear talks. But besides them, North Korea, South Korea and Japan are involved in the Korean nuclear talks while France, Britain and Germany are in the Iranian nuclear talks. Up until now the U.S. has been played an important role in them. She has always been a major player in the series of Korean nuclear talks, first with North Korea, then with North Korea and China and finally with other five countries in Beijing Six-party Talks. However the U.S. did not directly participate in the Iranian nuclear talks starting from 2004. Remaining back stage, she simply gave advice to the participants European Unions and Iran and then Russia and Iran. After the six-party talks were launched, the U.S. then began to directly join the event and become a part of it.

The biggest difference between these two kinds of six-party talks is a lack of the mayor player, viz. Iran in the talks on Iranian nuclear issue. Without Iran, the Iranian nuclear issue could not be satisfactorily settled. If Iran entered the multiparty talks and exchanged opinions face to face with U.S., the nuclear talks would progress in a much more constructive manner. This is why international press spoke so highly of the new comment given by Rice, U.S. Secretary of State on May 31st. This comment reflects a significant turn of U.S. policy and shows that U.S. has realized the importance of direct talks with Iran. She may be inspired by the face-to-face negations with North Korea in Beijing Six-party Talks. On June 1st, an agreement on Iranian nuclear issue was reached in the six-party talks in Vienna. But it will not count much due to a lack of Iran's participation.

These two kinds of six-party talks can go on abreast in our mind. They are unlikely to meet each other in reality. It is impossible for them to happen in the same place and very unlikely for them to take place during the same period of time. Six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue just began this year but the multi-party talks on the Iranian nuclear issue have not been held up until now this year. If the talks on the Iranian nuclear issue are successful, the multi-party talks would become "6+1 talks" or "seven-party talks". If negations fail, the six parties for Iranian nuclear talks could break up and there further talks would cease. If Iranian nuclear talks progressed in a "marathon run", it might become a real partner in the Korean nuclear talks.

By People's Daily Online