By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
China will soon determine a date for six-party talks in January as soon as the host country confirms North Korea's attendance, according to diplomatic sources here Wednesday.
South Korea and the United States are seeking to hold nuclear talks this month to clarify the intentions of North Korea.
The matter was initially brought up during a lunch hosted by Kim Gye-gwan, the top North Korean nuclear negotiator, with Lim Sung-nam, deputy chief South Korean nuclear negotiator and a senior Chinese diplomat in Pyongyang on Dec. 26.
``Kim exchanged opinions with the guests on the nuclear issue, and as a result of the meeting we (South Korea) concluded it is necessary to hold the talks in January,'' a source said.
The two senior diplomats of South Korea and China stressed the importance of North Korea's declaration of nuclear weapons programs during the lunch, saying the declaration should be ``correct and complete.''
But Kim didn't mention the declaration. Lim visited North Korea on Dec. 25-27 to discuss the provision of energy facilities in return for North Korea's disablement of nuclear facilities and the declaration.
Seoul officials then explained the situation to Washington, and they agreed to have a meeting of chief negotiators in January. The six-party talks, aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programs, involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia.
Chun Yung-woo, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, also said after a dinner meeting with his U.S. counterpart Christopher Hill Tuesday, ``Seoul and Washington share the same view over holding the six-party talks early. We can't exclude the possibility to hold the talks in January.''
Another source said that while some prefer to have the talks after all concerns regarding North Korea's uranium enrichment programs are dealt with, the majority think it necessary to have the talks first to forge a favorable atmosphere for further discussions.
Hill, who will visit Beijing Thursday to Friday after his three-day stay here, will discuss a date for the talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.
Diplomatic sources expected China to suggest around Jan. 20 for the talks in Beijing given the parties' agendas.
Meanwhile, Hill spent a second day of his visit here meeting senior officials to discuss not only the North Korea nuclear issue but also Seoul-Washington relations as U.S. assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Hill met Song Min-soon, minister of foreign affairs and trade; Park Geun-hye, former chairwoman of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP); Rep. Park Jin of the GNP, chief of the presidential transition committee's sub panel on foreign affairs.
Today, Hill will deliver a message from U.S. President George W. Bush to President-elect Lee Myung-bak and discuss bilateral issues such as the ratification of a Seoul-Washington free trade agreement.
He will visit Moscow on Friday and return to Washington on Saturday, finishing his regional tour.