Anticipating Progress in Six-PartyTalks with U.S. and China

China hopes that the second-phase actions of the Six-party talks between China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Russia will be implemented in a balanced, effective and all-round way so as to usher in the third-phase actions as soon as possibly, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said on June 24.

This statement of Liu’s is made against the background of a new round of positive moves China, the DPRK, the U.S., Japan, the ROK and Russia are unfolding with an aim of pressing ahead with the second-phase actions of the Six-party Talks and positive progress have been scored in the related consultations. So, the Six-party Talks once again meet opportunities for a continuous advance after temporary obstacles or difficulties are removed through concerted efforts.

The process of the Six-party Talks once again slowed down for a period of time, and the processes of commitment made by the relevant parties were also postponed. The Sixth Session of the Second Phase of Six-party Talks adopted a joint document, named the Second-phase Actions of the Joint Statement, on October 3, 2007. According to the joint document, the DPRK agreed to disable all existing nuclear facilities subject to abandonment. The disablement of the 5 megawatt Experimental Reactor at Yongbyon, the Reprocessing Plant (Radiochemical Laboratory) at Yongbyon and the Nuclear Fuel Rod Fabrication Plant had to be completed by 31 December 2007. Pyongyang also agreed to declare comprehensively and accurately all its nuclear programs by 31 December 2007. Meanwhile, substantial, continuous DPRK-US efforts to keep pace with the echo were made to improve their bilateral relations and work to advance the establishment of their all-round diplomatic ties. The two nations would step up bilateral exchanges and increase their mutual trust.

In view of its commitments “to de-list the DPRK from the “sponsors of terrorism” and to advance “the process of terminating the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act to DPRK”, the U.S., in compliance with the consensuses reached at the meetings of the Working Group on Normalization of DPRK-US Relations, is expected to carry out its promises toward DPRK on an equal footing in line with the latter’s actions. Obviously, the situation nevertheless did not develop according to the timetable originally prescribed.

With the absence of mutual trust, the decision-making processes are bound to be accompanied by hesitation and wavering, and so it is inevitable that the set time limit was compelled to put off, and let alone an “action to action” timetable. The two leading roles, either the DPRK or the U.S., obstinately keep to their own points of view on the matters they have done and ought to do, and this indeed reveals the tortuous and complex process of the non-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

One of the reasons the process of the Six-party Talks is teemed with uncertainties lies in the very fact that the talks represents a dynamic systems engineering project, involving the strategic interests of the six nations. The DPRK disablement of its existing nuclear facilities is relevant to other actions, and so such adjectives as “balanced”, “effective” and “all-round” (or comprehensive) have become key words with the implementation of the related actions.

The good political intention is, beyond any doubt, represents the essential precondition for keeping up the momentum of the Six-party Talks. The process of the talks, though postponed, still goes on, and all parties have not abandoned their efforts in the past half year. Mutual trust has accumulated gradually and the outcome has turned evident incessantly in the new round of positive moves.

For example, the DPRK and Japan held inter-governmental working talks in Beijing on June 11-12 and reached a range of agreements. According to these agreements, the DPRK would re-investigate the issue of Japanese kidnapping decades ago and provide cooperation with regard to the issue of the personnel relevant to the plane “Yodo”, and Japan would partially lift its sanctions against the DPRK. Hence, the improvement of DPRK-Japanese ties will undoubtedly bring positive factors to the new progress in the Six-party Talks.

Four full months ago, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra made an unprecedented, historic trip to Pyongyang. So Muse (in Greek mythology) should appreciate and enjoy it with a hearty smile on her face, and the air is still echoed with lingering sound. People worldwide are now looking forward to the breach of the bottleneck that hinders the implementtion of the second-phase actions for the Six-party Talks, becaise it after all conforms to the long-term, strategic interest of all the parties concerned and is conducive to the promotion of peace and stability in Northeast Asia.