Chief negotiators from North Korea and the US held a bilateral
meeting Tuesday, exchanging views on solving the issue of the
frozen funds in a Macao bank, a South Korean official said
Tuesday.
The official, who asked to remain unnamed, said the issue could
be fully resolved as quickly as Tuesday night or early Wednesday
morning.
Delegates from North and South Korea also met on Tuesday. The
chief North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan said the issue could be
solved, adding "he would sleep well tonight."
When asked when the sixth round of talks would finish, the
official said China had not formally released the schedule. If the
talks on Wednesday could tackle some substantial issues,
negotiations might last until Wednesday midnight, he said.
The official denied reports that North Korea could store South
Korea's heavy oil aid in a third country.
He added no discussion was held on North Korea's return to the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
South Korea's senior diplomat Lim Sung-nam confirmed the issue
of the frozen funds could be resolved satisfactorily "though the
process is somewhat complex," when briefing reporters at the South
Korean press center of the six party talks Tuesday night.
Lim said all parties held several bilateral meetings Tuesday,
discussing measures that could be taken in the initial and
following stages.
The sixth round of six-party talks, which involves China, the
US, Japan, Russia, North and South Korea, entered into the second
day on Tuesday. A plenary session scheduled Tuesday afternoon was
cancelled without giving reason.
(Xinhua News Agency March 21, 2007)
