The sixth round negotiation of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue was held in Beijing from March 19 to 22. All relevant parties have agreed to a temporary adjourn before its resumption as early as possible. The chief negotiator of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Kye-gwan, left Beijing for home on the afternoon of March 22.

People Daily sub-editor Wang Fang has had a wide-ranging discussion with several resident reporters in the countries involved in the talks with respect to relevant matters about DPRK and other participating nations in the sixth round of the six-party talks.

DPRK: Crux of the matter remains whether U.S. can change its hostile policy

Zhao Jiaming (PD resident reporter in DPRK): A chain of diplomatic moves on the part of DPRK had drawn wide attention from the international community prior to the sixth-round negotiation. Since early March, Kim Kye-gwan, the chief negotiator and vice-foreign minister of DPRK, visited the United States and had "wide-ranging" talks with Christophor Hill, assistant secretary of state and the top US nuclear negotiator. Though they were "old acquaintances" to each other, their first meeting on the American soil, however, was of particular significance. This extraordinary event was followed by a trip of a European Union (EU) delegation to DPRK, DPRK-Japanese talks held in Hanoi on normalization of bilateral ties as well as a visit by Mohamed M. EL. Baradei, director general of the Internal Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to DPRK, which took an initiative in implementing the February 13 Joint Document with a resolve, and create a positive atmosphere for the six-party talks.

Meanwhile, DPRK has repeatedly claimed its stance that the US side must first of all take action to lift financial sanctions against it, particularly a case involving the freezing of DPRK accounts at a Macau bank. If the U.S. fulfills its scheduled promise in other spheres, is will get ready to shut off its nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyong, accept the IAEA monitoring and verification. In the words of DPRK, the crux of the matter remains whether the U.S. can change its hostile policy toward DPRK and its main contents is to build their mutual trust step by step and both sides should show their sincerity to each other. So this requires the U.S. to equally display its "goodwill" and "initiative". On by doing so, can both parties carry out measures and planned steps within the framework of the six-party talks in the complex course of resolving the nuclear issue and normalizing bilateral relations.

In another related development, DPRK foreign ministry spokesman said in Pyongyang on March 22 that a joint military exercise to be held by the U.S and the Republic of Korea (ROK) poses a "dangerous, provocative action" which will negatively affect the implementation of the hard-won agreements reached at the six-party talks and the process of talks in days ahead.

ROK: Partial difficulties should not affect non-nuclearization process

Wang: Right after the sixth-round of the talks, Song Min-Soon, ROK minister of foreign affairs and trade, in his phone talk with his US counterpart, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the evening of March 22, underlined that all the relevant parties had to press ahead with the implementation of the February 13 Joint Document. Chief Negotiator Chun Yung Woo of ROK noted meanwhile that his country would not provide an aid of heavy oil to DPRK provided that it did not close its nuclear reactor complex and IAEA personnel did not return for a field monitoring.

Xu Baokang (PD resident reporter in ROK): ROK cites the discussion on plans for the implementation of February 13 Joint Document represents the consensus reached by all parties at the six-party talks, and the closure of the DPRK nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyong is crucial for settling the DPRK nuclear issue. Despite difficulties involved in the start-up at present, the goal will be attained eventually as all parties concerned make their own active efforts.

With respect to the objective of the six-party talks, ROK Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Song Min-Soon said the Korean Peninsula non-nuclearization, the normalization of ROK-DPRK ties and a peace mechanism, among others, are interrelated and can advance toward the wide horizon with the anticipated solution of the nuclear issue. DPRK has only a "nuclear" card, while other parties have numerous cards, he noted, adding that if it does not abide by the contents of the agreements, it will have to pay its prices dearly.

As for the issue on the freezing of DPRK accounts with the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia, Chief ROK Negotiator Chun Yung-woo acknowledged that it was only a matter of time, and all parties concerned, either DPRK, the U.S. or the Banco Delta Asia, have done a lot in this regard. Although no substantial talks were conducted on the issue on the freezing of DPRK accounts, the implementation of the 9/19 Joint Statement and 2/13 Joint Document would not be effected.

The general trend is forward moving and partial difficulties cannot be turned into leading factors to negatively affect the non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to public opinions in ROK, though see-saw battles could occur in an in-depth progressing of the six-party talks.

Japan: Having a more complex state of min than in previous round of talks

Wang: Chief Japanese Negotiator Kenichiro Sasae said all parties should not lose any hope for the recess of the talks but should step up or redouble their efforts. This round of talks has deepened the understanding of various parties and so it is a "good thing."

Yu Qing (PD resident reporter in Japan): Japan was in a more complex state of mind than in previous rounds of talks. First of all, it is a mentality of skepticism. On March 21, Yomiuri Shimbu, one of the popular daily newspapers in Japan, carried an article written by an ace global politics scholar named Tanakai Naokichi, titled "Japanese Diplomacy and the North Korea Problem", which has the following words: "The Joint Document reached in February does not necessarily imply that North Korea will eventually abandon its nuclear program. To Japan, which is most seriously exposed to a nuclear threat, however, the conclusion of an accord, after all, has extricated itself from a dilemma." This view of this scholar's reflects ideas of many Japanese officials and scholars.

The second is the mentality of complaint. In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a Senate budget committee meeting on March 19 that Japan stands by its policy. "We will not rush but want to work hard toward the resolution of the abduct issue," he said, noting that without the solution of this issue, Japan would not provide DPRK with an energy support and other countries also favored this acknowledgment or understanding..

On the evening of March 22, Japanese chief negotiator Kenichiro Sasae said the sixth round of negotiation started and ended both with the topic of North Korean accounts at a Macau bank, and he felt a pity as the relevant parties did not have any in-depth discussion of the non-nuclearization issue.

Russia: Go on advancing the process of non-nuclearizing Korea Peninsula

Wang: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov once stated explicitly that attention should be focused on the overall, basic objective instead of being bogged down in the particular details on the DPRK nuclear issue.

Yu Hungjian (PD resident reporter in Russia): Igor Ivanov, the Russian Security Council Secretary, has also underscored that his country hopes to see the Korean Peninsula distance itself from nuclear weaponry and turn stable and prosperous politically and economically and contribute its part to bring out this goal in the region. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Lavrov held that the U.S., DPRK and other parties concerned had shown their rare patience and an ardent desire to reach the agreement, which will facilitate the proper settlement of the Korea Peninsula nuclear issue.

Public opinions in Russia hold that the readiness of DPRK to shut and seal up the nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyong and flexibility of the US side constitute a "major breakthrough" in the course of talks. The positive progress made in the talks, nevertheless, poses only the first step toward the direction of settlement for the issue.

The U.S.: There exist positive factors inherent in the current round of talks

Wang: Chief US negotiator Christopher Hill in his March 22 interview with reporters said he was aware of "some positive aspects" in negotiations. He held that the talks are right on the right track as all parties concerned have reiterated at they would go on implementing the 9/19 Joint Statement of 2006 and the "February 13 Joint Document" of 2007. Furthermore, he voiced the hope that the US economic and energy cooperation with DPRK and the latter's comprehensive reporting and de-functioning of nuclear reactor complex would be materialized by the end of the year.

Li Wenyun (PD resident reporter in the US): American media have also reported some "deadlock or impasses" during the recent round of six-party talks. Though progress in the talks have somewhat been hindered by disparities on the freezing of North Korean accounts at the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia, said an Associated Press report, Hill said they were still marching forward and efforts to materialize the February 13 Joint Document would pay off.

In the meantime, media reports in the U.S. also acknowledge that the strained Japan-DPRK ties have added some complicated factors to the six-party talks. As Japan insisted that the so-called abduct issue of the 1970s and 1980s had to be resolved before normalizing its ties with DPRK, this position of Japan's has made the DPRK extremely resentful and discontented.

China: Continue to pay positive, constructive role

Wang: We have noticed that Wu Dawei, chairman of the six round of sixth-party talks and chief Chinese negotiator, said on the evening of March 22 that the advancement of the six-party talks, and the realization of the goal for non-nuclearization in the Korean peninsula and the normalization of ties between the countries concerned in the region is of vital importance to the long-term peace and stability in northeast Asia. So the Chinese government is willing and ready to play a positive and constructive role for the attainment of this goal. And the six-party talks will, despite twist and turns amid winds and storms, will still progress and march ahead courageously.

By People's Daily Online