The working group's second meeting provided basis for the
upcoming third round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula
nuclear issue, the chief representative of the delegation from the
Republic of Korea (ROK) to the meeting said in Beijing Tuesday
evening.?
Cho Tae-yong, director-general of the ROK Foreign Ministry's
task force on the North Korea nuclear issue, said at a press
conference that the discussions made in the working group's second
meeting from Monday to Tuesday was conducive for concerned parties
to understand each other's stance.
Cho Tae-yong said although the meeting was ended with no results
the ROK delegation expected, the concerned parties put forward
their respective problems and strengthened mutual
understanding.
The third round of six-party talks to be held from June 23 might
achieve progress, if the concerned parties can narrow down their
differences and reach consensus in the talks, he said.
The ROK delegation will put forward their detailed project in
the talks for solving the nuclear issue, and will make efforts for
the progress in the talks, he added.
He said Lee Soo-hyuck, head of the ROK delegation to the talks
and the ROK's deputy minister of foreign affairs and trade, and
Wang Yi, Chinese delegation head and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister,
held bilateral talks Tuesday afternoon, and the two sides exchanged
their views over the third round of six-party talks and the nuclear
issue.
He said Lee Soo-hyuck will hold bilateral talks respectively
with delegation heads from Russia and the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday morning, and then the delegation
heads from the ROK, the United States and Japan will meet to
evaluate the working group meeting and to coordinate the stance in
the upcoming third round of six-party talks Wednesday
afternoon.
The delegations from the DPRK and the United States also hoped
to make contacts, he added.
(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2004)