By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter


The six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, which took a three-week recess on Aug. 7, will likely resume on Sept. 2, China’s top delegate to the negotiation reportedly said in Japan Friday.

But South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the date has not been set.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei was quoted by a Japanese political party official as saying that the participating countries _ the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan _ are expected to reconvene on Sept. 2.

``We are now considering resuming the talks on Sept. 2 in consultation with the Japanese side,’’ Kyodo News Agency quoted Wu as saying. ``Our staffers are now talking with the U.S. side.’’

The Jiji Press, however, reported a conflicting story, quoting Wu as saying that the date he announced was his ``personal idea.’’

After 13 days of inconclusive talks, China, host of the denuclearization talks, adjourned the dialogue on Aug. 7. Wu said his negotiating partners agreed to resume the talks in the week of Aug. 29.

Lee Kyu-hyung, spokesman of the foreign ministry in Seoul, told The Korea Times that South Korea has not received official notice from China on the resumption date.

The hottest issue in the fourth round of the talks, which began July 26, was triggered by Pyongyang’s hope to retain nuclear facilities for civilian energy needs in such fields as agriculture and medical science.

Diplomatic sources in Seoul said that Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon’s visit to the U.S. was designed to persuade Washington into acquiescing to the North’s demand.

Ban made ambiguous remarks on the success of his mission. ``South Korea and the U.S. have no differences on the issue,’’ he told reporters in Washington. ``But that doesn’t necessary mean the two sides are in sync.’’

im@koreatimes.co.kr