For Seoul’s chief negotiator six-nation talks that opened yesterday in Chinese capital will work “this time”. Pyongyang does not raise the issue of its frozen Macau bank accounts. Nuclear programme will end in exchange for other sources of energy.

Beijing (AsiaNews) – An unexpected but positive breakthrough in the long journey towards the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula is how an anonymous Korean diplomat at the six nation talks described the latest draft proposal made by China to shut down North Korean reactors.

Nuclear envoys from the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States resumed the six-nation talks in the Chinese capital yesterday amid high hopes that they will produce some tangible progress this time.

Chun Yung-woo, South Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator, said: “This time, there were diversified bilateral negotiations beforehand, so the participants were able to confirm what they could agree on. We expected the drafting of the agreement would begin earlier than ever.”

According to early indications, the agreement calls for the shutting down North Korea’s two reactors and the arrival of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. In exchange Pyongyang would get other supplies of energy, beginning with crude oil.

No word though about North Korea’s Macau bank accounts. According to the anonymous diplomat this was the key factor point.

Unlike talks in December, Kim Gye-gwan, chief negotiator for the Stalinist regime, did not mention this issue in his opening speech.

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