It is reported that North Korea, US, and China had an unofficial meeting in Beijing to discuss how to restore the six-party talks and agreed to rejoin the talks sooner or later. According to a source, it will resume in early November.

On a website, the Chinese government announced that North Korea, US and Chinese governments agreed to rejoin the six-party talks. It is reported that Beijing asked Washington and Pyongyang to have an unofficial meeting in Beijing. The meeting came just three weeks after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.

The source said, “The three top nuclear envoys exchanged their frank and in-depth opinions regarding the process of the six-party talks.” After China’s announcement on the website, Christopher Hill had a press conference at the US embassy in China. He stated that if the member countries agreed to restore the talks, they would likely resume in early November or December this year. He added that, regarding the restoration of the talks, North Korea did not add any preconditions.

Hill said, “North Korea did not mention whether the North will conduct additional nuclear weapon tests or not, and the UN sanctions on North Korea are still in force,” adding, “However, it is evident that North Korea should stop conducting additional tests.”

Regarding the discussion among the three countries, Washington replied, “We welcome the announcement and expect the talks will be resumed sooner or later.” Like Washington, Tokyo also welcomes the talks, saying, “The talks are an optimal key to resolve the North’s nuclear issue. We welcome it.” In the case of China, the country has tried to resolve the hot issue, dispatching its special envoy to North Korea.

입력시간: 2006. 11.02. 08:12