The fourth round of six-party talks on the north Korean nuclear issue opened in Beijing on Tuesday on a positive note with the United States reassuring Pyongyang that it regarded North Korea as a sovereign state and had no plans to 'invade' it.
At the same time, Assistant secretary of State and chief US negotiator Christopher Hill said North Korea's worrisome nuclear programme should be dismantled 'permanently and fully' indicating that Washington stuck to its stand.
North Korea's chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan responded by saying his country was ready to discuss practical ways to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and urged other concerned parties to work toward that goal.
"The United States is prepared for serious negotiations in the six-party framework. We view the Democratic People's Repulic of Korea's sovereignty as a matter of fact. The US has absolutely no intention to invade or attack the DPRK (North Korea) and we remain prepared to speak with the DPRK bilaterally in the context of these talks," Hill said in his opening speech at the inauguration of the six-party talks, which end a 13-month hiatus.
"My delegation and I are pleased to be back in Beijing and we want to remain here so long as we are making progress in these talks. Injecting a new dynamism into these talks is absolutely critical," he said.
He described the one year delay in holding the fourth round of six-way talks as 'unfortunate and regrettable' and hoped that the current round would made progress.
"Now that the talks have finally resumed, all of us have the opportunity and the obligation to work creatively and energetically together for an outcome that provides the basis for lasting security and prosperity for all our people," Hill said.
North Korea's vice foreign minister and chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan said his country was ready to discuss practical ways to achieve a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
"The goal requires a firm political will and a strategic decision of the concerned parties trying to remove the danger of a nuclear war and realise the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," Kim said in an opening statement.
Kim said North Korea was prepared to cooperate with other dialogue partners to ensure that the six-nation talks involving China, the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Russia would achieve 'substantial progress'.
Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing, who earlier posed for photographs with the six delegation leaders, urged all sides to show flexibility and hold a pragmatic attitude to seek 'positive' progress in the new round of talks.
Li said that realising a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and maintaining long-term regional peace and stability is in the interests of all parties concerned.
"Adhering to the process of peaceful talks is the sole correct choice," he said.
Li said the six parties reached a consensus in the last three rounds of talks on three aspects, including adhering to the goal of realising a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, the direction of the process of peaceful talks and maintaining peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.
He said all the parties should cherish the consensus, which was broadly welcomed by the international community.
The six-party talks began in August 2003 in Beijing, but stalled after the third round in June 2004. Pyongyang boycotted the fourth round scheduled for September 2004, citing US 'hostile' policy, including attempted regime change.
The six-party talks is a realistic and effective way to solve disputes, Li said, hoping that all the participants would improve consultation based on the foundation laid during the last three rounds of talks, enhance mutual understanding by shelving differences and seeking common views to achieve positive progress.
As differences remained, "The talks will probably encounter various difficulties and disturbance," the Chinese foreign minister cautioned.
However, he believed that through a step-by-step process, a solution would be finally reached.
China, as the host of the six-way talks, will continue to coordinate and cooperate with the other parties and make unremitting efforts to realise a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and maintain regional peace and stability, he said.
Pyongyang announced that it will return to the six-party talks after a meeting in Beijing between top US and North Korean envoys.
The US and North Korea have been locked in a stand-off since October 2002 when Washington accused Pyongyang of pursuing a covert nuclear programme based on highly-enriched uranium, violating a 1994 bilateral agreement.
Three years ago, Bush had branded North Korea part of an 'axis of evil' with Iran and Iraq.
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