The six-party talks on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue resumed in Beijing on Monday after a 13-month hiatus, but with analysts predicting that negotiations will be tough.

 

"The current round of talks will emphasize and fix on specific measures to fully implement the joint statement in September 2005," China's top negotiator Wu Dawei told the opening session of the nuclear talks Monday morning.

 

Under the joint statement, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees.

 

Formally known as the second phase of the fifth round since 2003, Monday's talks involved China, North and South Korea, the US, Japan and Russia.

 

It was the first talks since North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test on October 9, triggering protests from the international community and complicating the Korean nuclear issue.

 

Pining hopes on the talks, Wu urged "all the parties to exert political wisdom, come up with political determination and courage, and build a mutual-beneficial future while increasing mutual trust."

 

But Wu tried to downplay expectations of significant progress in the fresh talks, stressing "the issues to be discussed and settled during this phase of talks are complicated and profound."

 

The chief US negotiator was also cautious about the prospect of progress in this round of talks.

 

Depicting the talks are coming to an "important juncture," Christoper Hill said "we are at the fork of road. I can't tell which road North Korea is choosing."

 

The chief North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan said upon his arrival that North Korea was not optimistic about the outlook of the new round of talks. He emphasized the US should change its hostile policy towards North Korea, to a peaceful co-existence one.

 

It was confirmed by Chinese Foreign Ministry that Hill and Kim did not have one-on-one discussion on Monday.

 

The fact that both the US and North Korea were unwilling to change their entrenched position is the reason why the ongoing talks may move at a snail's pace, observers said.

 

"Scrapping nuclear weapons has a long way to go, thus no one expects a single meeting will work out quick solution," said Piao Jianyi, a researcher on Korean issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

 

Zhu Feng, a professor at the prestigious Beijing University, said the breakthrough lies in practical actions, rather than hostile policies, from the US and North Korea.

 

Meanwhile, signs of pragmatic negotiations on specific areas have emerged, as Hill said that over the next few days the six parties are expected to discuss a China-proposed plan to set up working groups as a way to implement the joint statement.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2006)