China has proposed a new draft statement at talks on North Korea's nuclear program, the US envoy said yesterday, after weekend discussions were snarled by the North's demands for what it should receive in exchange for disarming.
The new draft, submitted late Sunday, "reflected all sides' modifications" to the first Chinese-written draft, said US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill. He wouldn't give any details, but said, "I think the process is going forward rather well."
Hill said delegates would meet yesterday to discuss the new proposal. The statement of basic principles is meant to lay the basis for future talks aimed at ending the three-year-old standoff over demands that the North give up nuclear development. The talks involve the two Koreas, the US, Japan, host China and Russia.
The US and North Korea held direct talks twice yesterday, a South Korean official said on condition of anonymity. The frequent and in-depth discussions between Washington and Pyongyang have been a marked change from previous six-nation talks. According to South Korea's delegate, Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, talks Sunday focused on a key sticking point: what steps the other governments will take in exchange for an agreement by the North to dismantle its nuclear program.
The North has demanded concessions such as security guarantees and aid from Washington before it eliminates its weapons program, while the US wants to see the arms destroyed first.
The North has also insisted that it be allowed to run a peaceful nuclear power program, something Washington objects to out of proliferation concerns.
Hill dismissed suggestions that this round of talks -- the fourth in a series that began in 2003 -- might be completed yesterday. The delegates have set no ending date, in contrast to earlier sessions, which each ended after three days.
"Everything's a problem until everything's solved, and nothing is solved until everything is solved," Hill said.
Song, the South Korean envoy, said delegations still had a series of discussions ahead of them between their leaders and other officials.
"Narrowing differences in opinions cannot be done by the hour," Song said.
No details regarding either draft statement have been released, but Japanese media said it called for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs and other programs that could potentially produce such arms.
The draft also addresses normalization of US and Japanese relations with the North, Kyodo News agency reported.
The Japanese side is dissatisfied with the draft proposed by China because it fails to mention Japanese citizens the North has admitted to kidnapping, Kyodo said.
The Japanese delegate, Deputy Foreign Minister Sasae Kenichiro, wouldn't confirm that report, but said, "For Japan, we will do our best to reflect our stance in the draft."
Another issue of contention is the North's demand that it be allowed peaceful use of nuclear technology to remedy its electricity shortage, a request dating back to an earlier nuclear crisis that ended in a 1994 agreement with the US. But Washington is reluctant to allow it any nuclear programs that could be diverted to weapons use.
"It is premature to talk about results, because the six-party process is continuing," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said.
"We are expecting the talks to last some more days," Alexeyev said.
In February, the North claimed it had nuclear weapons and has since taken steps that would allow it to harvest more plutonium for possible use in bombs.
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