Nuke talks 'substantive and constructive'
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-11 07:50

The ongoing Six-Party Talks in Beijing, that aim for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, have so far been "substantive and constructive," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular news briefing.

Yesterday, the second day of the fifth round of talks on the DPRK nuclear issue, participants tried to thrash out ways to implement a set of principles they agreed upon in September.

Pyongyang has promised it is ready to give up its nuclear weapons and programmes in phases on condition that the country is first provided light-water reactors.

However, the US wants the DPRK to shut its reactors and stop reprocessing spent fuel into weapons-grade plutonium as the first steps in implementing the agreement.

The format of future talks was also a major topic in yesterday's discussions.

China is expected to release a chairman's statement before the talks break for a recess in the next few days.

"We're still planning to end the talks tomorrow," Liu said. "Whether we can issue a chairman's statement or not depends on reaching a consensus today or tomorrow," he said yesterday.

It is the fifth time Beijing is hosting the Six-Party Talks, which involve China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan.