China, DPRK, U.S. agree to resume six-party talks

Top negotiators of China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States agreed to resume the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as soon as possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
The negotiators held several rounds of bilateral and trilateral talks in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday, exchanging views "frankly and in an in-depth way", said the Ministry.
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.
But it did not say whether an exact date has been set.
The top negotiators of China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan are all in Beijing making preparations for the resumption of the talks.
On Tuesday's regular press conference of the Ministry, spokeswoman Jiang Yu said the exact date for the resumption of the talks was still undecided.
Jiang called on all parties to take a "flexible and pragmatic approach" and work toward the early resumption of the talks and make concerted efforts to achieve progress.
The six-party talks, aimed at finding a solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, have been stalled since last November as the DPRK refused to return to the talks because of U.S. sanctions against it.
Source: Xinhua

China reaffirms efforts to push for Mideast peace

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has reiterated his country's readiness to join international efforts to push for peace and stability in the Middle East region.
In a message to the Conference in Commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People held at the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Wen extended warm congratulations on the occasion of its convocation on behalf of the Chinese government.
In the message, Wen stressed the Palestinian issue is at the core of the Middle East conflict. "China supports restart of the Middle East peace process and resumption of political negotiations as soon as possible, so as to establish an independent state of Palestine that co-exists peacefully with Israel, on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and the 'land for peace' principle," he said.
The settlement of the Palestinian issue calls for political will and courage of the Palestinians and Israel as well, and needs support and assistance from the international community, Wen said.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China would continue its support for a larger UN role in the Middle East issue, he said.
"China is ready to make unswerving efforts with the international community for a fair and overall solution to the Palestinian issue and an early realization of peace and stability in the Middle East region," the Chinese premier said.
The United Nations set Nov. 29 as the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Source: Xinhua