Six-nation talks on ending North Korea's atomic weapons drive may resume on September 2, an official quoted China's chief negotiator as saying Thursday after Japan, China and South Korea formed a united front to press Pyongyang.
The countries "plan to resume on September 2," Wu Dawei, China's vice foreign minister, told Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima at a meeting here, a Japanese party official said, asking not to be named.
There was no immediate confirmation of Wu's remarks, but in a meeting with Tsutomu Takebe, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Wu said the date was "my personal idea," Jiji Press news agency reported.
The Russian news agency Interfax later quoted a North Korean diplomatic official in Beijing as saying talks were not likely to resume on September 2, contradicting assurances made in Tokyo.
"We believe it is unlikely that the fourth round of six-party talks will begin again next week," said the North Korean source quoted by Interfax.
The news of the possible re-opening next week comes after Japan, China and South Korea agreed Wednesday that North Korea should give up its nuclear arms program based on the Chinese proposal already on the table.
The agreement between the three countries to join forces in the negotiations would not be stopped by earlier friction between Beijing and Tokyo, said Wu, who is on a visit to Japan.
"They agreed to make efforts to reach an agreement on the basis of the draft handed out by China in the previous meeting," a Japanese official said on Wednesday.
The report of the impending restart also came after a US delegation met North Korean officials in New York on Tuesday to make preparations for the resumption, the US State Department said.
Joseph de Trani, a special US envoy to the six-party talks, had "a positive meeting" with the North Korean delegation, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "We look forward to resuming the talks."
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