The six-party talks aimed at defusing the nuclear tension on the Korean Peninsula have once again become a major media topic.  

On January 8, a US congressional delegation headed by Democrat Representative Tom Lantos paid a four-day visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Four days later, Republican Representative Curt Weldon arrived in Pyongyang via Russia as head of a six-member congress delegation, its second visit to the DPRK in 18 months.

It is somewhat uncommon that at the beginning of the new year and in such a short period, that the two American congressional delegations should pay visits to a country with which the United States has no diplomatic ties.

During his visit in Pyongyang, Lantos held talks with related DPRK officials, discussing the resumption of the multilateral talks and the program on the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue on the peninsula.

The US congressional delegation, headed by Weldon, also held a series of talks with high-ranking DPRK officials during its visit to the DPRK, including President of the Presidium of Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong-nam.

At a press conference after he concluded his visit in the DPRK, Weldon said to reporters that he had told DPRK leaders that the United States does not want to go to war with the DPRK and said he held an optimistic attitude towards the prospect of the six-party talks. The Republican congressman also expressed his belief that talks would be resumed in weeks, instead of months.

Other members of his delegation also said the conditions for talks had already improved and the foundation had been further consolidated.

Shortly after Weldon ended his visit, the official Korean Central News Agency published a commentary on January 14, saying the DPRK is willing to make efforts to solve the problems in its relations with the United States, and it would regard Washington as a friend provided it does intervene in its internal affairs.

The commentary also said the DPRK leadership had carefully studied American foreign policy in President George W. Bush's second term and decided to return to the negotiating table.

Almost at the same time, the Republic of Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said the condition for holding a new round of six-party talks has already improved.

In a speech at a press conference on January 15, the president said the condition for the resumption of the stalled talks has been riper.

After expressing his opinion about the strained relations between ROK and DPRK, Roh said he is willing to hold a summit meeting with the DPRK leader Kim Jing-il.

In response to the article carried on the Korean Central News Agency, White House spokesman Scott McClellan expressed his cautious optimism. He said the Bush administration still needs time to watch the reaction from the DPRK and judge how serious Pyongyang was while saying these words.

But the spokesman also said the United States is looking forward to holding a new round of six-party talks as soon as possible so that every party concerned can take the next action.

At the same time, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also expressed his hope to re-launch the six-party talks as soon as possible. However, he stressed the talks should contain all DPRK nuclear items.

By the end of last June, three rounds of six-party talks, which brought together the United States, China, ROK and DPRK, Russia and Japan, had been held with the active brokering of the Chinese government.

Due to various factors, the fourth round of talks, originally planned in September, however, failed to be held as scheduled. Since then, diplomatic efforts and activities aimed at resuming the interrupted multilateral talks have never stopped.

Not long before the new year, a Chinese special envoy paid a visit to Pyongyang and held talks with relevant DPRK officials about the resumption of the six-party talks. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo also discussed with the former US Secretary of States Colin Powell about the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. Russia, the ROK and Japan also participated in some diplomatic mediating activities.

All these have shown signs of compromise emerging on the nuclear issue.

However, the recent visits to the DPRK by the two American congress delegations were not on behalf of the Bush administration. And time is still needed to watch whether Washington has really shown its "new mentality" in its policy towards the DPRK.

Despite such uncertain factors, some analysts believe that a positive and delicate "interaction" has emerged for a new round of the six-party talks.

(China Daily January 31, 2005)