Top ROK negotiator: technical problems key to next step of six-party talks

When to hold negotiators' meeting will be up to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) reaction towards the settlement of its frozen funds issue, the Republic of Korea (ROK) chief negotiator told reporters Wednesday morning.

ROK top negotiator Chun Yung Woo said the negotiation could only move forward until the technical problems of the frozen funds were completely settled. So far he didn't hear any development of the issue.

The six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue on Wednesday remained stalled because of DPRK's refusal of attending the talks until its frozen funds at a Macao bank are transferred to its account.

So a delegation heads' meeting which was initially scheduled for Tuesday afternoon was canceled.

Chun said all six parties have made due efforts to solve the frozen funds issue in the past two days, but the money has not reached the designated account yet.

The U.S. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser said on Monday the United States and the DPRK had reached an understanding on the issue. The 25 million U.S. dollars frozen funds in Macao-based Banco Delta Asia would be transferred to a DPRK account at the Bank of China in Beijing.

Source: Xinhua