US, DPRK enter into second-day of nuclear talks

Updated: 2011-07-30 00:36

(Xinhua)

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NEW YORK - The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Friday entered into their second-day of talks aiming at possible resumption of the long-stalled six-party talks on Korean Peninsular denuclearization in New York following the previous day's "serious, business-like" discussions.

DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan arrived at the residence of the US Mission to the United Nations, where the dialogue was taking place, Friday morning, and was greeted by Clifford Hart, known to have been named special envoy for the six- party talks.

US diplomats confirmed that US envoy for DPRK policy Stephen Bosworth and Kim started their meeting behind closed doors around 10:10 am EDT.

Bosworth and Kim remained silent after their first-day talk Thursday. Meanwhile, the US State Department called the discussions "have been serious and business-like" in a brief readout released later Thursday.

"We look forward to continuing our meetings tomorrow," said the readout.

It added that this is "an exploratory meeting" to determine if DPRK is prepared to fulfill its commitments under the 2005 Joint Statement of the six-party talks and its international obligations, as well as to take concrete and irreversible steps toward denuclearization. The bilateral talks came after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday invited Kim to New York for talks on the potential resumption of the six-party talks, which has been on hold for more than two years.

Last Friday, Republic of Korea (ROK)'s chief nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac and his DPRK counterpart Ri Yong-ho held a bilateral meeting in Bali, Indonesia, during which, the two sides agreed to work to resume the six-party talks.

The six-party talks, involving China, the DPRK, the United States, ROK, Russia and Japan, began in 2003. Six rounds of talks were held before stalling in December 2008.