DPRK, US to resume talks

long-range missile launches, and uranium enrichment activities at Nyongbyon.
The country will also allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the moratorium on uranium enrichment.
On the US side, it has promised to provide the DPRK with food aid of “240 000 metric tonnes of nutritional assistance”.
This, of course, is a first positive step toward the resumption of the Six-Party Talks, after the process has been stalled for months since 2009.
However, any sombre mind would agree that to achieve the ultimate goal of denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula, all parties concerned have to embark on a long path of negotiations given the complexity of the issue.
Since its launch in August 2003, the Six-Party Talks have churned out various documents underlining respective obligations of the participating nations so as to finally achieve a peaceful resolution of the thorny issue. Just as the proof is in the pudding, the true value of these documents can only be realised when the six parties all put earnest effort into implementing what they have committed themselves to.
For the United States and the DPRK, whose attitudes bear special significance for the success of the nuclear talks, concrete steps should be taken by both sides to reduce animosity and boost mutual trust.
The first point in hand, the United States could refrain from further flexing its military muscle in war games around the Korean Peninsula so as not to ratchet up tension in the area.
As agreed, the two sides should also simultaneously take actions to fulfil their promises and create a favourable condition for the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.
The United States and the DPRK have conducted three rounds of direct talks in recent months, first in New York in July and the second in Geneva in October, and the most recent in Beijing.
The first two rounds of talks, through failing to produce any concrete deals, have helped ease tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.
The third round, conducted at a time when the DPRK has just finished a leadership change, is also noteworthy in the sense that it’s the first diplomatic move by the DPRK under its new leader Kim Jong Un.
It’s a common aspiration of the six parties, namely the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan and Russia, to bring a peaceful solution to the Korean nuclear issue.
As the host of the latest round of direct talks between the DPRK and the United States, China has also been playing an active role within the framework of the Six-Party Talks.
China will make joint efforts with the other concerned parties to promote the resumption of the Six-Party Talks and play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula and in northeast Asia as a whole. — Xinhua.