By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter


The fifth round of six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs will start next Wednesday in Beijing, a high-ranking government official in Seoul said Thursday.

``China proposed the date, Nov. 9, and the other participating countries have agreed on it,’’ the official said. China hosts the talks aimed at dismantling the North’s nuclear weapons programs. The talks are attended by the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also confirmed in a weekly press briefing that the talks would resume on Nov. 9. No closing date has yet been given.

But the talks will likely have a recess during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum to be held in Pusan from Nov. 12 through Nov. 19, as the five participating nations’ chief delegates to the talks, excluding North Korea, are expected to accompany their heads of state to the APEC summit.

The second stage of the talks will then likely be resumed in December, according to sources.

The latest round of the six-nation talks, which was held in September, also had a recess of more than one month before the participating nations came up with a joint statement.

The upcoming round of the talks is expected to focus on drawing out a road map for implementing a set of agreements stated in the joint statement, which said North Korea would abandon its nuclear weapons programs in return for economic aid and security guarantees from the five other countries.

But the U.S. and North Korea, the two main negotiators of the talks, have been feuding over how to sequence the agreements. North Korea, in dire need for energy, said it wants provision of light-water nuclear reactors prior to the possible verification of the nuclear weapons disarmament, a demand the U.S. objects.

saltwall@koreatimes.co.kr