Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi reached Pyongyang yesterday on a
three-day visit to discuss bilateral ties and to try to resolve the
Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.
His trip comes amid the diplomatic flurry after the settlement
of a dispute over DPRK funds last month.
Yang is on a three-nation tour, and flew to the capital of the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea from Mongolia. He is
scheduled to fly to Indonesia on Wednesday.
Analysts are cautiously optimistic, saying the Six-Party Talks, which began in 2003,?
has laid out a "road map" for the peaceful resolution of the Korean
nuclear issue.
US chief nuclear envoy Christopher Hill paid a surprise visit to
Pyongyang in mid-June, during which the DPRK promised to honor its
side of an agreement reached in February.
Hill's visit was followed by that of a group of UN nuclear
inspectors to arrange for the DPRK to shut down its nuclear
facilities.
Though there's no deadline for shutting down the Yongbyon
nuclear complex, IAEA deputy director-general Ollie Heinonen said
the trip was "fruitful" and his delegation had reached "an
understanding" with the DPRK on what should be done.
Tsinghua University's senior professor Liu Jiangyong welcomed
the progress but said there are still many uncertainties on the
road to denuclearization.
The top US military commander in the Republic of Korea yesterday
criticized last week's missile test by the DPRK, saying the country
remains a threat.
But Liu said the key obstacle in the next round of negotiations
would be the dispute between the DPRK and Japan, rather than the
US. "The Six-Party Talks is progressing but bilateral ties are
impeding the process."
Reports say Pyongyang voiced deep concern on Sunday over Japan's
participation in the Six-Party Talks, saying Tokyo's "dastardly"
behavior creates doubts whether it is fit to sit at the negotiation
table.
Japan tried to disband a pro-DPRK group of ethnic Koreans on
that day.
This is not the first time Pyongyang has criticized Japan's role
at the Six-Party Talks.
It has done so earlier despite the fact that? it had agreed
to the landmark disarmament deal in February.
(China Daily July 3, 2007)