The two-day negotiations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DRPK) and the United States are a "positive sign" of improvement in bilateral
relations, said a senior Chinese diplomat.
Jiang Yu, spokesperson for the Chinese delegation to the six-party talks on
the Korean Peninsula, made the remarks at a press conference after Wednesday's
meetings. All parties held bilateral talks in the morning, and there was a
meeting of chief delegates in the afternoon.
The DPRK and the United States continued their discussions on financial
sanctions at the DRPK embassy Wednesday morning.
Jiang said this is a "good start", and China hopes they can resolve the issue
through bilateral consultations, bearing in mind the overall goal of
denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
President of the DPRK's Foreign Trade Bank O Kwang Chol held three-hour talks
with Daniel Glaser, the U.S. Treasury Department's deputy assistant secretary
for terrorist financing and financial crimes, at the U.S. Embassy Tuesday
afternoon.
Chief negotiators from the two sides, Christoper Hill and Kim Kye-gwan also
held bilateral negotiations.
Jiang said the three days of meetings at this round of talks were gradually
expanding consensus and creating a clearer focus.
She said all the parties have presented their positions and concerns, and had
close contacts and consultations.
They need to take into consideration each other's concerns and interests, so
as to seek a common interest that they share, Jiang noted.
Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing held a meeting with chief negotiators of the six
parties Wednesday afternoon, during which he said a new consensus has been
reached in the talks thanks to all parties' strenuous efforts.
The fresh consensus included the fact that all parties reiterated the need to
implement the September joint statement in support of a peaceful resolution of
the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, and the adherence to
a common target of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
According to the terms of the joint statement, the DPRK agreed to abandon its
nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees.
Jiang said the question of working groups was still under discussion.
She told the reporters that the talks would continue on Thursday and Friday
but did not say when they would end.
