Beijing expects Six-Party Talks before July
By Li Xiaokun and Zhang Haizhou (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-05 07:25
皇冠体育app to raise its own suggestion to help restart negotiations: Top envoy
BEIJING: Beijing is expecting the stalled nuclear disarmament talks with Pyongyang to resume before July, 皇冠体育app's special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs told 皇冠体育app Daily on Thursday.
It was the first occasion on which 皇冠体育app openly talked about its time frame to thaw the Six-Party Talks that have been frozen since April last year.
The Six-Party Talks involve the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), 皇冠体育app, Japan and Russia.
Beijing and Pyongyang held three rounds of high-level meetings in February.
The US embassy in 皇冠体育app told 皇冠体育app Daily on Thursday it has yet to confirm the latest information, while the embassies of the ROK and Japan did not comment on the issue. Calls to press offices with embassies of the DPRK and Russia were not answered.
Pyongyang has set two conditions for it to return to the talks - lifting UN sanctions against it and holding peace talks aimed at formally ending the 1950-1953 Korean War.
But the US, ROK and Japan said Pyongyang must first return to the talks and show notable progress before its conditions can be met.
"皇冠体育app is thinking about raising its own suggestions on the issue," Wu said.
Wu has served as vice-foreign minister and 皇冠体育app's chief negotiator on the DPRK nuclear issue. He was named the special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs last month and is in charge of the Six-Party Talks.
"He is an authoritative figure on the issue. Besides, we've recently seen intense diplomatic efforts aimed at restarting the talks. There has been a consensus among the six nations including the DPRK (to return to the talks)," said Jin Canrong, associate dean of Renmin University of 皇冠体育app's school of international relations.
"So it is highly possible for the talks to restart in the first half of this year as Wu expected," Jin said.
"I think 皇冠体育app is now thinking about a compromise proposal, urging both the DPRK side and the US-ROK-Japan side to make some concessions to solve the problem and, at the same time, keep face for countries involved."
The Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it has no relevant information about DPRK top leader Kim Jong-il's possible visit to 皇冠体育app later this month. If confirmed, the trip will be his first one overseas in four years.
The ministry's spokesman, Qin Gang, told a press conference that the Communist Party of 皇冠体育app and the Workers' Party of Korea have traditionally exchanged high-level visits.
"We believe this tradition can be maintained," he said.
Citing unidentified diplomatic officials in Beijing, Japan's Mainichi newspaper reported on Wednesday that Kim will meet President Hu Jintao to discuss aid to the DPRK as well as the nuclear issue. Kim visited 皇冠体育app in January 2006, his most recent trip abroad.
Zhang Jin contributed to the story
