North Korea told negotiators it has started preparations for
shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear facilities, chief negotiator of
South Korea Chun Yung Woo said in Beijing Saturday.
The North Korean side talked about the start during a meeting of
the denuclearization working group of the six-party talks, which started on Saturday
morning in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Chun said.
Meanwhile, the North Korean delegation stressed whether
disablement of the nuclear facilities could proceed smoothly
depends on other countries' fulfilling of their corresponding
commitments, Chun told a press briefing.
The commitments North Korea referred to include that on its
accounts in the Banco Delta Asia (BDA), as well as the
corresponding measures listed in the Feb. 13 joint statement, Chun
said.
If conditions are mature, the North Korean delegation said, it
would take relevant measures on its nuclear facilities, including
declaration of the facilities and disablement, according to
Chun.
During Saturday morning's plenary session, each of the six
parties made a key-note speech, and expressed their respective
positions concerning the future task of the denuclearization
working group, Chun said.
They focused on the topics such as the task of the next phase
after the first 60 days, as well as the relations between the
denuclearization group and the International Atomic Energy Agency,
the South Korean top negotiator said.
Relevant parties proposed to set a time limit for the measures
to take in the next phase, he said.
While related countries including South Korea suggested North
Korea should declare its enriched uranium, the North Korean
delegation replied that the issue can be discussed, according to
Chun.
North Korea said it could give an explanation if relevant
evidence was presented, Chun added.
South Korean delegation also suggested the parties reach common
understanding on the definition of "disablement". Parties concerned
consented and agreed to confer the definition of the word through
working talks, Chun said.
In the afternoon, South Korea, the United States and Japan held
working talks, in which they discussed some hot topics and
definitions concerning the implementation of the Feb. 13 joint
document, according to him.
The working group meeting is expected to last two days ahead of
the fresh round of six-party talks scheduled on Monday, said
Chinese chief negotiator Wu Dawei at the beginning of the
meeting.
Wu, who heads the working group, presided over the meeting.
Representatives of the other five parties at the working group
meeting were: Minister of North Korea to China Kim Song Gi, US top
nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill, chief negotiator of South
Korea Chun Yung Woo, and Russian ambassador at large Grigory
Berdennikov.
Japan was represented by its ambassador in charge of the Korean
Peninsula nuclear issue Suda Akio and its chief negotiator for
six-party talks Kenichiro Sasae.
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2007)
