North Korea and the United States have agreed to resume the long-stalled six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear issue "as soon as possible," it was announced here on Wednesday.
The breakthrough came during talks brokered by China. Top negotiators of the three countries held several rounds of bilateral and trilateral talks in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday, exchanging views "frankly and in an in-depth way", the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
North Korea and the United States agreed to resume the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as soon as possible, the ministry said without giving a firm date.
The negotiations have "increased mutual understanding" between the three parties, who agreed to work together for the early resumption and progress of the six-party talks, the Ministry said.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei met with US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan and decided to resume the six-way talks.
North Korea had been apparently bargaining hard with the US to lift the economic sanctions imposed on it for its alleged money laundering through banks in Macao, a Special Administrative Region of China.
China yesterday urged all sides to display flexibility and adopt a constructive attitude so as to make progress in resuming the six-way talks that has been stalled for a year.
{{/usCountry}}China yesterday urged all sides to display flexibility and adopt a constructive attitude so as to make progress in resuming the six-way talks that has been stalled for a year.
{{/usCountry}}