The six parties on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue agreed to advance the talks to a new stage as soon as possible, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The six parties, namely China, North and South Korea, the US, Japan and Russia, had a discussion in Beijing and agreed to implement the second phase action of the talks early, according to a press release from the Ministry.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei met with heads of other five parties, respectively, namely North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, South Korean chief negotiator to the talks Chun Yung-woo, Japan's chief negotiator Akitaka Saiki, and Russian ambassador to China Sergei Razov.

The six top negotiators all spoke highly of the progress already made in the talks, and believed that it is in the common interests of all parties concerned to promote the process of the talks.

"The parties concerned agreed to make joint efforts to strive for the early implementation of the second phase action of the talks in a comprehensive and balanced way, in a bid to usher the talks into a new stage," said the release.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2008)