Diplomatic efforts to break the stalemate over the simmering nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula are paying off.

 

Participants in the fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing adopted an important joint statement yesterday.

 

In the first-ever agreement following more than two years of negotiations, North Korea promised to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and return, at an early date, to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

 

In exchange, the US, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China -- the other players in the negotiations -- would provide oil and energy aid. Pyongyang and Washington, as well as Pyongyang and Tokyo, will also take steps to normalize relations.

 

The US affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea with nuclear or conventional weapons.

 

As the most significant achievement in the two years since the launch of the six-party talks in 2003, the landmark agreement is no doubt a positive step toward thrashing out a peaceful resolution to the long-standing nuclear crisis on the peninsula.

 

A telling witness to their political vision and courage, the parties involved made clear in the statement that North Korea would have the right to develop a civilian nuclear program if it regains international trust, unraveling the Gordian knot between Pyongyang and Washington at this session of negotiations.

 

More specifically, they agreed to discuss "at an appropriate time" giving North Korea a light-water nuclear reactor -- a type less easily diverted for weapons use.

 

This is conducive to enhancing mutual understanding and laying the necessary foundations for the continuation of the talks aimed at reaching a final peaceful settlement of the matter.

 

All parties have a role to play in bringing the nuclear crisis under control and building a diversified security framework for the region in the long term.

 

If they keep their minds open, solutions may be in sight.

 

A Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons is crucial not only to the security and stability of Northeast Asia but the whole world. It is in the interests of all parties concerned to resolve the matter as soon as possible through peaceful means.

 

As the host of the six-way talks, China has been playing a cooperative and coordinating role in handling the crisis by actively encouraging relevant parties to solve the matter through dialogue, forming part of the international community's effort to make the peninsula nuclear free.

 

Other parties involved have also tabled important proposals for the peace talks.

 

A spirit of reconciliation and cooperation and the willingness of all sides to solve the issue through peaceful means prompted a fruitful multilateral dialogue.

 

The root of the affair derives from the remaining shadow of the Cold War over the Korean Peninsula.

 

Full of historical and current contradictions, the road ahead is by no means smooth. It is unrealistic to expect several sets of meetings to solve all problems as mutual distrust serves as the biggest impediment to any solution.

 

How to bridge the gap between North Korea and the US in terms of fundamental positions, or more specifically, who makes the first move, is the focus of deliberations.

 

It is heartening to see the six parties vow to take coordinated steps to implement their consensus reached in this round of negotiations in a phased manner in line with the principle of "commitment for commitment, action for action." A solution will be within reach as long as all sides concerned work together and sincerely stick to peaceful negotiations, no matter how arduous and plodding the process may be.

 

(China Daily September 20, 2005)