Fifth day of nuke talks: bilateral meetings underway for possible way out

As the ongoing six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue entered its fifth day in Beijing on Saturday, parties concerned continued to hold bilateral meetings in an attempt to finalize a common document proposed by China.

US chief negotiator to the talks Christopher Hill said here on Saturday morning that he didn't want to speculate what the involved parties were going to do in the afternoon.

"The six parties are currently in the process of evaluating where we are as right," Hill told reporters before he left the hotel for the fifth-day negotiations, possibly the last day of the current round of the six-party talks.

He said the new draft common document proposed by China was "a good package" without making any elaboration.

He said he would further consult with Washington on telephone in the morning.

However, Japanese delegation head Kenichiro Sasae told reporters on Saturday morning that not every party involved was satisfied with the new draft, including Japan itself.

According to a report by Russian Itartass on Saturday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was sort of dissatisfied with the new draft, because it "actually repeats the US standpoint, which the DPRK can never accept."

Bilateral meetings were held respectively on Saturday morning between China and the United States, the United States and Japan, and the Republic of Korea and the United States, according to the press center of the Chinese delegation.

By press time, the China-Japan consultation is still going on, and a head-of-delegation session is going to be held on Saturday afternoon, according to the press center.

As the host nation, China tabled a new common document draft on Friday afternoon and asked other parties to respond before Saturday afternoon.

The draft common document submitted by China included the DPRK's right to civilian nuclear programs and a light-water reactor, chief Russian negotiator Alexander Alexeyev said on Friday.

Source: Xinhua