Six-party meet 'set for Dec 16'

The long-stalled Six-Party Talks on the Korean nuclear issue is now likely to restart in the middle of this month.

China, the host of the talks which also involves the United States, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan has not officially announced the date, but media reports cited diplomatic sources as saying the talks could resume on December 16.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported over the weekend that the talks are likely to resume in Beijing on that day, quoting an anonymous source involved in the talks.

"The outlook emerged after host China proposed the date to the other parties and received no opposition from them," Kyodo quoted the source as saying.

The Foreign Ministry could not be reached for comment on the report.

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who was attending a meeting of senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus China, Japan and the ROK in the Philippines, told reporters that negotiations are expected in the second half of this month, with all six countries working on a consensus date.

US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who is also the chief US negotiator to the talks, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying China would make a formal announcement this weekend.

The first session is expected to last a few days and resume after a Christmas break, the report said.

The ROK's top negotiator Chun Yung-woo was quoted by the Associated Press as saying "a decision on a date is likely in a day or two and that China is likely to make the announcement."

The talks have been stalled since November last year after the DPRK accused the US of unfairly imposing financial sanctions on its companies and refused to come back to the negotiating table.

But last month, China, the DPRK and the United States agreed to resume negotiations as soon as possible.

Kim Kye-gwan, the DPRK's chief negotiator, told reporters in Beijing a week ago that his country is prepared to return to the talks at any time.

Chinese observers consider the resumption as a sliver of hope for stabilizing the volatile situation on the Korean Peninsula, but they said the final resolution of the nuclear issue depends on how much mutual trust the DPRK and the US can build.

If the talks resume and the parties honour their commitments in the joint statement issued in September last year, it will be conducive to the security of Northeast Asia and realization of a nuclear-free peninsula, said Liu Jiangyong, a professor of international studies at Tsinghua University.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations at Rennin University of China, said the talks are a good mechanism to solve the issue. "But due to the complicated situation I believe the upcoming round of talks will not be the last one. There will be many rounds."

Source: China Daily