BEIJING, Aug. 5 -- Talks on North Korean nuclear disarmament were deadlocked when the United States and North Korea could not agree on the latter's nuclear programs for peaceful purposes -- the key stumbling block in negotiations, reports said.

Qin Gang, spokesman for the Chinese delegation to the six-party talks speaks to the reporters August 4, 2005. (newsphoto)

    North Korean chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan inisted that his country should enjoy the right for peaceful nuclear activities, AFP reported.

    The U.S. was the only country opposed to its use of nuclear energy for civilian purposes, such as nuclear power plants, Kim said, but he believed Washington would ultimately be persuaded into supporting Pyongyang position.

    The US State Department said last week any nuclear program can be turned into a nuclear weapons project by North Korea, according to the AFP.

    "We are here to be committed to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. However, we want to reserve the right for the peaceful nuclear activities," AFP quoted Kim as saying.

    "All nations in the world have the right for the peaceful nuclear activities. The DPRK is neither a defeated nation in a war nor a nation having committed any crimes, so why should we not be allowed to use the nuclear power peacefully?" the North Korean diplomat noted.

    Another hurdle for talks

    Ahead of their 11th day Friday, the talks hit another hurdle -- differences between the North and the US on what steps each side should take to achieve a nuclear weapons free North Korea, AFP cited Kim and others as saying.

    In exchange for dismantlement, the North Korea has demanded normalization of ties with the United States, as well as economic assistance including fuel oil aid, and non-aggression guarantees,

    The United States has persistently demanded that the North give up its weapons programs before it gets aid and energy.

    US chief delegate Christopher Hill indicated Thursday the US wanted detailed commitments from the North.

    Kim noted the two countries were still unable to establish mutual trust on the normalization of bilateral ties, but he pledged to continue the talks.

    

Kim Kye-gwan (C), North Korean Vice Foreign Minister and top negotiator for the six-party talks, speaks to journalists outside the North Korean embassy in Beijing August 4, 2005. (newsphoto)

No consensus on joint document as talks entering final stages

    With negotiators still unable to agree on the text of their first joint statement, the talks are approaching their final stages, indicated the spokesman for the Chinese delegation Qin Gang.

    "Success is not dependent on the adoption of a joint document," said Qin, adding that the long running negotiations themselves mark progress, with all parties inching ahead toward the denuclearization goal.

    He did not disclose details of the reported fourth draft of the joint document proposed by China, which all parties have been discussing since last Saturday.

    Acknowledging the existence of different opinions among the six delegations, Qin emphasized that all the negotiators were endeavouring to narrow the differences.

    "We've been able to deepen mutual understanding in the talks and there has been no breakdown," he said.

    Russia's chief delegate Alexander Alexeyev, who left Beijing for home last weekend but returned to the Chinese capital yesterday for the talks, said he expected the discussions to continue "about one or two more days," the ITAR-Tass News Agency reported.

    Despite the lack of an agreement all sides in the talks, which also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, want to keep the negotiations going, Hill and others said, AFP reported.

    "We are very much getting to the end game. We really have the desire to see if we reach an agreement," Hill said. "I suspect we are really getting to the last couple of days of this."

    The fourth round of the Six-Party Talks, opened last Tuesday in Beijing, are the longest since the talks were launched in 2003 and have been characterized by frequent one-on-one meetings between Washington and Pyongyang, the most critical participants.

    The six parties have held 72 bilateral consultations, exceeding the total number bilateral meetings held during the previous three rounds of the talks.

    China have held 14 one-on-one meetings with the US and 11 with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), seven with Japan, six with Russia and four with the Republic of Korea (ROK), said Qin.

    The United States and the DPRK delegates have so far met nine times, with the latest meeting yesterday reportedly arranged by the ROK.

    The two sides might still have the chance to meet again, Qin said.

    A collapse of the latest round could prompt Washington to take the issue to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions, according to the AFP report.

    The crisis erupted in October 2002 when the United States accused the North of running a secretive uranium enrichment program.

    (Source: chinadaily.com.cn)