Russia, China, Japan, the two Koreas and the United States gathered in the Chinese capital, Beijing, December 18 for five days of discussions on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, ending a 13-month pause in the negotiating process. The six nations wound up their final meeting Friday by reiterating their commitment to resolving the conflict through dialogue.
Pyongyang pulled out of the previous round of talks in November 2005 following Washington's demand that its accounts at a Macau-based bank be frozen for alleged money laundering and counterfeiting of U.S. currency.
On October 9 of this year, North Korea reported conducting its first test of a nuclear weapon.
Pyongyang's chief nuclear negotiator said Friday the future of talks depends on the position of the United States.
"The U.S. is not yet ready to withdraw its sanctions and renounce its hostile policy to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. I think it is clear with whom the responsibility lies. Sanctions are a display of a hostile course," Kim Kye-gwan said.
The U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said last week Pyongyang has tried to divert the talks away from its nuclear weapons program by insisting that the possibility of scrapping it can only be discussed once financial sanctions are lifted.
Kim said the U.S. uses a dialogue-and-pressure, carrot-and-stick approach in trying to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear weapons program, and that Pyongyang responds with a dialogue-and-shield policy, with the word "shield" implying higher efficiency of its nuclear deterrent forces.
He also said North Korea's nuclear weapons do not target any other country.
"As a responsible nuclear power, we do not threaten other countries, and pledge to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons."
Chinese envoy Wu Dawei said the delegates agreed to take coordinated steps toward implementing a September 2005 joint statement in which the North pledged to disarm in exchange for security guarantees and aid.
Russia's top negotiator said his delegation's efforts were aimed primarily at de-escalating tensions.
The Russian side "has pursued a line aimed at ensuring the nuclear-free status of the Korean Peninsula and strengthening security and cooperation in the region, which is adjacent to our Far Eastern borders," said Sergei Razov, who is also Russia's ambassador to China.
"In this connection, we have consistently urged our partners to show restraint and flexibility, [stressing] the need to exclude steps fraught with the danger of a further escalation of tensions," he said.
The parties agreed to resume talks at the earliest opportunity, but fixed no new date.
Russia's foreign minister said Friday he is not surprised that the fifth round of the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issues in Beijing ended with no breakthrough, and urged the parties to continue the talks.
"No one expected this round to resolve everything. I believe the sides should continue working patiently," said Sergei Lavrov, who is attending a session of the Russian-Ukrainian interstate commission in Kiev.
"I doubt that anyone seriously believed everything would be resolved. Indeed, the North Korean delegation's positions were rather tough, and our main goal now is to return to the agreements fixed in September 2005," he said.
