ROK, DPRK reach consensus on nuke talks
By Qin Jize (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-25 05:39

The US chief delegate felt it was hard to predict the outcome of the talks, telling reporters to wait until all concerned parties sit down and get on with negotiations.

No end date has been set for the fourth round of the Six-Party Talks, which will take place in a bid to improve the chances of a deal under which the DPRK will give up its nuclear weapons programme.

Hill did not confirm whether the United States would have any contact with the DPRK before the start of the talks, adding he would consult with various sides to prepare.

Delegations from the other five countries have all been arriving in Beijing in the last few days.

The DPRK was the first to touch down in Beijing, with delegates arriving on Friday afternoon and heading for their embassy.

Song Min-soon, the head of the ROK delegation, arrived in Beijing on Saturday morning.

The Japanese delegation arrived yesterday and Russia is expected to be in the Chinese capital today.

The talks will take place at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the same venue as the previous three rounds, all of which failed to resolve the nuclear standoff.

The talks have attracted about 300 overseas journalists.

China, Japan and the ROK have all established their own media centres for journalists.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang said on Saturday that it feels no need to sit down face to face with Japan at the upcoming talks because the country is insisting on discussing the DPRK's past abduction of Japanese citizens.

However, it is not clear whether the latest comments about Japan mean Pyongyang will skip the talks entirely if they include Japan, or if they just mean the country does not want to meet with Japanese officials on the sidelines of the talks.