The two-day negotiations between North Korea and the US are a "positive sign" of improvement in bilateral relations, Jiang Yu, spokeswoman for the Chinese delegation to the six-party nuclear talks, said yesterday.

 

Jiang made the remarks at a press conference after Wednesday's meetings. All parties held bilateral talks in the morning, and there was a meeting of chief delegates in the afternoon.

 

North Korea and the US continued their discussions on financial sanctions at the North Korean embassy yesterday morning.

 

Jiang said this is a "good start," and China hopes they can resolve the issue through bilateral consultations, bearing in mind the overall goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

 

President of North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank, O Kwang Chol, held three-hour talks with Daniel Glaser, the US Treasury Department's deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes, at the US embassy Tuesday afternoon.

 

Chief negotiators from the two sides, Christopher Hill and Kim Kye-gwan, also held bilateral negotiations.

 

Jiang said the three days of meetings at this round of talks were gradually expanding consensus and creating a clearer focus.

 

She said all the parties have presented their positions and concerns, and had close contacts and consultations.

 

They need to take into consideration each other's concerns and interests, so as to seek a common interest that they share, Jiang noted.

 

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing held a meeting with chief negotiators of the six parties yesterday afternoon, during which he said a new consensus has been reached in the talks thanks to all parties' strenuous efforts.

 

The fresh consensus included the fact that all parties reiterated the need to implement the September 19 joint statement in support of a peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, and the adherence to a common target of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

 

According to the terms of the joint statement adopted during the fourth round of talks last year, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for economic aid and security guarantees.

 

Jiang said the question of working groups was still under discussion.

 

She told the reporters that the talks would continue on Thursday and Friday but did not say when they would end.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2006)