The working group's second meeting provided basis for the upcoming third round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, the chief representative of the delegation from the Republic of Korea (ROK) to the meeting said in Beijing Tuesday evening. 

 

Cho Tae-yong, director-general of the ROK Foreign Ministry's task force on the North Korea nuclear issue, said at a press conference that the discussions made in the working group's second meeting from Monday to Tuesday was conducive for concerned parties to understand each other's stance.

 

Cho Tae-yong said although the meeting was ended with no results the ROK delegation expected, the concerned parties put forward their respective problems and strengthened mutual understanding.

 

The third round of six-party talks to be held from June 23 might achieve progress, if the concerned parties can narrow down their differences and reach consensus in the talks, he said.

 

The ROK delegation will put forward their detailed project in the talks for solving the nuclear issue, and will make efforts for the progress in the talks, he added.

 

He said Lee Soo-hyuck, head of the ROK delegation to the talks and the ROK's deputy minister of foreign affairs and trade, and Wang Yi, Chinese delegation head and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, held bilateral talks Tuesday afternoon, and the two sides exchanged their views over the third round of six-party talks and the nuclear issue.

 

He said Lee Soo-hyuck will hold bilateral talks respectively with delegation heads from Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday morning, and then the delegation heads from the ROK, the United States and Japan will meet to evaluate the working group meeting and to coordinate the stance in the upcoming third round of six-party talks Wednesday afternoon.

 

The delegations from the DPRK and the United States also hoped to make contacts, he added.

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2004)