The second round of the six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula enters the fourth day on Saturday and is scheduled to end with a closing ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

 

The vice heads of six delegations will meet at 9 a.m. and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi will offer a press conference at 2 p.m. Saturday.

 

The second round of talks is one day longer than the first round. The first round, also involving China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan, was held in last August.

 

On Friday, the delegations held their third plenary session in the second-round talks and delegation heads held a small-group meeting.

 

At a press briefing Friday, Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao said the consensus between the parties was expanded and difference was narrowed gradually.

 

He also hoped that the parties would display enough patience to promote continuation of six-party talks.

 

On Thursday, the talks focused on the first-phase action and corresponding measures for realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsular.

 

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the DPRK put forward a proposal of comprehensive stop of nuclear activities at Thursday's plenary session, and all parties considered the proposal a necessary step for the realization of dismantling nuclear program in the peninsula.

 

The first plenary session of the second-round talks began Wednesday morning after an opening ceremony. The discussion was "calm and practical" and the parties reached certain consensus, said Liu Jianchao at a press briefing.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 2004)