No deal, but nuke talks continue
20/7/2007 9:28
The six-nation talks on Korean nuclear disarmament - which were to end
yesterday - were extended for an additional session today, according to a top
Republic of Korea official.
ROK chief negotiator Chun Yung Woo said
yesterday in Beijing that China is preparing a draft chairman's statement for
the morning session.
"Thursday's meeting had a more practical atmosphere
compared with the previous day, which mainly discussed the details of the plan
for the complete disabling the nuclear facilities in the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea," Chun said.
He said there were substantial discussions
on setting a timetable for the complete dismantling of the DPRK nuclear program,
but given the complexity of the issue, it was difficult to reach a speedy
resolution.
Returning from yesterday's session, top US negotiator
Christopher Hill said, "They will have one more meeting
tomorrow."
Another senior ROK official told reporters yesterday that
three working group meetings may be held in August, one to discuss
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, another on economic and energy
cooperation and the third on a northeast Asia peace and security mechanism.
The six negotiators held a joint meeting yesterday morning and conducted
several rounds of bilateral consultations in the afternoon.
"The meeting
is continuing in a serious and pragmatic atmosphere," the Chinese Foreign
Ministry said on its Website.
Positive signals were reported to the media
after the first day of talks. Hill said on Wednesday night that the discussions
had been "very open and substantive."
The ROK's Chun said the DPRK
demonstrated its willingness to disable its nuclear facilities and declare all
its nuclear programs in five to six months.
The DPRK has already shut
down its Yongbyon facilities, the first step in implementing a February 13
agreement that mapped out Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament and the financial
compensation it would receive.
Xinhua
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