New consensus reached in DPRK talks

(Xinhua/AP)
Updated: 2006-12-20 18:32

BEIJING -- New consensus has been reached in the resumed six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuke issue thanks to all parties' arduous efforts, said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing here Wednesday.

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Li made the remarks at a meeting with the chief negotiators of the six parties, including China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia.

"All parties reaffirm that they will implement the September 19 joint statement, they reaffirm that they will resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and peace and they reaffirm that they will uphold the aim of denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula," Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said in a statement on the ministry's Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn).

Li stressed the fresh consensus include that all parties reiterated the implementation of the September joint statement, peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and the adherence to the common target of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Li said he hoped involved parties to give full play of their political wisdom and innovation spirit, accumulate trust and expand consensus in a gradual manner.

Li noted that it was really not easy to resume the six-party talks after a stalemate of more than one year, adding that the urgent priorities for all the parties at this moment were to roll out plans for carrying out the joint statement and take down-to-earth actions to fulfill their commitments made in the statement.

Li said the statement was a significant achievement of the previous rounds of six-party talks, calling it "taking the concerns of all parties and deserving to be cherished".

Li pointed out that it was in the interest of all parties and conformed to the aspirations of the world to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue through negotiations within the framework of the six-party talks.

The heads of all delegations appreciated host China's key role in promoting the multilateral talks and acknowledged the important significance of the resumption of the six-party talks and the arduous tasks each delegation shouldered.

They agreed to make joint efforts, overcome difficulties and further the talks for substantive progress.

North Korea agreed in a September 19, 2005, accord to give up its nuclear arms in exchange for aid and security guarantees from the other five countries at the talks -- China, South Korea, the United States, Japan and Russia.

But it has since conducted a nuclear test and on Monday opened this round of negotiations -- the first in more than a year -- by outlining a laundry list of demands it wanted met before it would begin to move toward scrapping its atomic arsenal.



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