The resumed six-party talks entered the third day on Thursday. The following are newly-stated positions of the delegations of China, North Korea, the US, South Korea and Japan.     

 

The Chinese delegation:

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that China will, as before, hold in-depth consultations with concerned parties with a positive and pragmatic attitude.

 

Qin said the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a complex issue and requires both patience and flexibility.     

 

The North Korean delegation:

 

The North Korean delegation spokesman Hyun Hak Bong said Thursday that the major stumbling block to the talks is the issue of providing a light-water reactor.

 

"Providing a light-water reactor is a matter of building trust," said Hyun, adding it is "a problem related to the US' political will to give up its hostile policy towards North Korea."     

 

The US delegation:

 

Chief US negotiator Christopher Hill has rejected North Korea's demand for a light-water nuclear reactor, saying that the issue was not included in the fourth draft of a common document.

 

"The light-water reactor for us is a non-starter," Hill said Thursday.

 

On Wednesday night, he made it clear that neither the US nor any other party is prepared to fund the construction of a light-water reactor.     

 

The South Korean delegation:

 

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said Thursday in New York that South Korea believes that all parties share the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

 

He said North Korea must abandon all nuclear weapons and programs and return to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and accept the inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

Meanwhile, North Korea should have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear power after it regains trust from the international community, he said.     

 

The Japanese delegation:

 

Japanese chief negotiator Kenichiro Sasae said Thursday that North Korea should give up all its nuclear weapons and programs and North Korea's demand for a light-water reactor is unacceptable.

 

Sasae said that if concerned parties cannot agree on the light-water reactor issue, it is very hard to reach a common document.

 

The second delegation heads' meeting held Thursday was a "very difficult" meeting and the stances between concerned parties remained "far apart," he added.     

 

The Russian delegation:

 

Russian delegation head Alexander Alexeyev has maintained that North Korea has the right to peaceful nuclear utilization.

 

Before coming for the talks, Alexeyev said in Moscow that North Korea can expect cooperation from other countries on nuclear energy if it returns to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the JoongAng Ilbo daily newspaper of South Korea reported.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 16, 2005)