The fifth round of talks on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula opens today in Beijing.
Delegates from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States arrived yesterday. China has been hosting the talks and playing a key role in persuading North Korea to moderate its position.
At the fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing in September, DPRK agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs in exchange for energy aid and security guarantees.
The joint statement on the issue was regarded as a breakthrough but crucial details and timing have not been worked out.
The dprk delegation, headed by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan, made no comment on arrival.
But before departing from Pyongyang, Kim said: "The six-party talks already have a clear direction, they are like a beacon guiding the six parties toward progress."
But he said "that beacon at present is far away and moreover the mist on the ocean is thick and sometimes it blurs the beacon."
The dprk official said all parties should work together and pool their wisdom to achieve further progress.
Meanwhile, Russia's chief negotiator Alexander Alexeyev said on arrival that Moscow would cooperate with DPRK in an effort to achieve substantial results.
Alexeyev urged other parties to take Pyongyang's concerns into consideration. The Russian delegation is reported to include Moscow's ambassadors to both DPRK and China.
Japan's chief negotiator, Sensae Kenichiro, said Tokyo is keenly interested in how to implement the general agreement on denuclearization.
The us delegation, which has been concerned about implementation and DPRK's good faith, arrived last night, without commenting.
Four rounds of the six-party talks have been held in Beijing, aiming at resolving the nuclear issue.