China's Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi Friday urged the parties
concerned to grasp the opportunity to peacefully resolve the Korean
Peninsula nuclear issue and translate it into reality.
In a meeting with Joseph R. DeTrani, a US State Department
special envoy for Korean affairs, who was on a special visit to
China for working consultations, Wang stressed that the result
hinged on attitudes of the relevant sides.
The second round of six-party talks, involving China, the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States,
the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, is to begin on Feb
25. Their first talks were held in Beijing last August, and lasted
three days.
Wang said that the opportunity has come for further promoting a
peaceful solution to the nuclear issue, since the forthcoming talks
will start discussions on substantial questions.
China, as the host nation, has done a good deal of preparatory
work, but whether the opportunity can be transformed into reality
depends on the attitudes of the concerned parties, Wang noted.
He urged all sides, for the sake of peace and stability on the
peninsula, to grasp the opportunity for peace, and send positive
signals, and take the opportunity presented by the talks to narrow
their disparities and build a consensus, and try to lay down
specific goals for solving the problem.
The US side said the country cherishes a positive attitude
toward the new round of talks, and hopes the talks will result in
concrete progress and proceed in the future, pledging its
willingness to exercise necessary flexibility on the issue.
Ning Fukui, an ambassador-level official with the Chinese
Foreign Ministry in charge of affairs concerning the Korean
Peninsula, Friday held working consultations with DeTrani on
specific issues concerning the second round of talks.
DPRK develops nuclear technology on its own: official
news agency
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday
refuted a US allegation over the "transfer of nuclear technology"
to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by a Pakistani
scientist, claiming that the DPRK possessed a self-reliant nuclear
deterrent force.
"The New York Times on Feb 12 said that a Pakistani
nuclear expert visited the DPRK more than 10 times to help develop
technology of nuclear weapons," said the KCNA in a commentary.
"Lurking behind it is an ulterior intention to make the
international community believe it, and disarm the DPRK just as the
US did in Iraq and justify its brigandish demand that Pyongyang
scrap its nuclear program first at the upcoming six-party talks,"
the KCNA said.
It said the United States intended to violate the sovereignty of
independent states under such pretext.
The DPRK's self-reliant nuclear power industry and its nuclear
deterrent force for self-defense were indigenously developed and
perfected by DPRK scientists and technicians, the KCNA
stressed.
"The DPRK was compelled to change the purpose of its nuclear
power industry based on graphite-moderated reactors and possess a
nuclear deterrent force for self-defense because the US nuclear
threat increased as the days went by and the outbreak of a
dangerous war of aggression became imminent," the commentary
said.
Pakistan nuclear scientist Qadeer Khan admitted in early
February that he had leaked nuclear secrets to Libya, Iran and the
DPRK. He said it had nothing to do with the Pakistani government
and army.
On Feb 10, a spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry denied the
claim and accused the United States of hyping the story, saying it
was "nothing but a mean and groundless propaganda."
(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2004)