Negotiators to the fourth round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue start substantial discussions Wednesday in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

 

Delegation heads of North Korea and Russia, Japan and North Korea, Japan and South Korea, and US and Russia had bilateral contacts Wednesday morning, according to the press center of the six-party talks.

 

US chief negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters Wednesday morning when leaving his hotel that it is possible to reach an agreement for the talks on the basis of the fourth draft proposed by China, but detailed differences remain ahead.

 

"Though we don't have any strong problems with the fourth draft, how North Korea reacts to the fourth draft is something we have to see today," Hill said.

 

The stumbling block was whether Pyongyang is allowed for the right to have a civilian nuclear program. North Korea insisted on the right while US wanted full dismantlement of its nuclear program.

 

While addressing the chief negotiators' meeting Tuesday afternoon, Chinese delegation chief Wu Dawei urged the parties concerned to seek a balanced and win-win solution through flexible, pragmatic and constructive consultations so that the talks can make progress.

 

During the chief negotiators' meeting, all parties demonstrated strong desire for a common document and agreed to hold chief negotiators' meeting once every day, said South Korea chief negotiator Song Min-soon Tuesday evening.

 

The current meeting of the talks will focus on the light-water reactor issue, Song said, adding that the previous phase of the talks touched on the issue but did not have in-depth discussion on it.

 

Japanese chief negotiator Kenichiro Sasae said in Beijing Wednesday that the nuclear issue should come first in the current six-party talks, implying that Japan may show flexibility on the abduction issue if necessary for reaching a joint document.

 

The fourth round six-party talks, involving China, North Korea, US, South Korea, Russia and Japan, resumed Tuesday after a five-week recess.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2005)