Now that all six countries engaged in a fourth round of talks on the Korean nuclear issue in Beijing have put their cards on the table, it is clear major differences still exist among the parties.
"At present, the demand of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for a light-water reactor and the scope of dismantlement of nuclear programs remain the crucial differences," South Korea delegation chief Song Min-soon said yesterday.
The six parties, China, the DPRK, the United States, South Korea, Russia and Japan, reopened the second phase of the fourth round on Tuesday after a five-week recess.
"Since the resumption of the talks, all parties have held a series of one-on-one meetings to get acquainted with each other's position," Song told a news briefing. "In the following step, the parties will continue to hold bilateral consultations according to their needs."
The delegations from the DPRK and the United States held their first ever one-on-one consultations yesterday afternoon.
The chief US delegate Christopher Hill described the meeting as "lengthy" and fruitless because the DPRK delegation insists that "they want to include in the agreement a light-water reactor" in exchange for scraping all nuclear programs.
"Neither the United States nor any other participants in the six-party process is prepared to fund a light-water reactor," Hill said. Instead he said Pyongyang could get conventional energy, security guarantees and economic assistance.
(Xinhua)