The 5th round of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue held from November 9 to 11 2005, at Beijing Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

The multilateral talks, involving China, the US, Russia, Japan, South and North Korea, were planned to hold in phases and they focused on how to implement the joint statement issued at the end of the fourth round of talks in September.

In the statement North Korea pledged to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and return, at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. And from its part the US affirms that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea with nuclear or conventional weapons.

China's vice foreign minister and chief negotiator Wu Dawei said at the opening session that the main task of the 5th round of talks is "to outline details, ways and procedures for the implementation of the joint statement adopted in September." The task should be fulfilled in line with the principle of "commitment to commitment and action to action," he added.

The mistrust between the United States and the DPRK as well as their differences in the sequencing of actions still posed challenges in the new round of talks, the US and North Korea are still divided over when North Korea should open up to disarmament inspectors and whether in return it would receive compensation including a new light-water nuclear reactor for energy. Also US intensified economic and financial sanctions as well as US hostile remarks against North Korea few days before the beginning of the talks exacerbated the situation.

North Korea Pledged to fulfill the joint statement, Kim Gye-gwan, head of the North Korean delegation to the six-party talks said: "North Korea cherishes the joint statement formed in the previous round. We are willing to make sincere efforts at this round of talks to fulfill the spirit of the joint statement," Kim made the remarks at Pyongyang's Sun-an Airport before traveling to Beijing. Kim, also North Korea's vice foreign minister said the talks have already had a clear direction, which guides the six parties all the way forward like a lighthouse. "But the lighthouse is too far away from North Korea and becomes less visible sometimes as the sea is always full of fogs."

However, he said, all the parties involved could pool their wisdom and work together for further progress.

The US side claimed North Korea should first abandon its nuclear program and create a nuclear-free Korea Peninsula, then other issues could be discussed, US chief negotiator Christopher Hill said: "When North Korea back to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) with the IAEA safeguards, at an appropriate time we'll have a discussion about the subject of the provision of light water reactor," Hill said.

Japan proposed setting up working groups to implement the joint statement reached in September in the fifth round of talks on Korean nuclear issue. Kenichiro Sasae, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, made the proposal while giving a keynote speech at the plenary session of the talks.

The two working groups are expected to cover North Korea's nuclear dismantlement and inspection, and economic and energy aid to the North.  In addition to the working groups -- first two tracks to facilitate the negotiations, Sasae also suggested the dialogue on bilateral ties and regional security be a third track. Japan will work with the countries concerned to draw up roadmap on the third track. Sasae also pointed out that the three tracks would proceed independently but as part of the overall "package" of the six-party talks.

 The Japanese side considers the aim of the six-party talks is to solve the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Sasae said, adding the Japanese side hopes Japan-North Korea ties could get improved through the six-party talks.

South Korean delegation held bilateral consultation with the North Korean delegation and the head of delegation Song Min-soon said that all sides should take measures to build up mutual trust, so as to implement the joint statement reached at the previous round of talks. He also said: The path is still "open" for all sides to implement the joint statement through consultations. The fifth-round talks will lay the groundwork for carrying out the first joint statement among the parties, he said.

Song Min-soon, chief negotiator of South Korea, said that there are three issues that need to be addressed during the fifth round of six-party talks.

"We need to talk about the nuclear disarmament by North Korea, economic and power assistance to it and the normalization of diplomatic relations among concerned countries", Song said.

"The current phase of the meeting does not has an objective to achieving an agreement, and it's a preliminary meeting for the substantial consultation in the next phase of the meeting", Song said, suggesting that the achievement of the first phase meeting could be written into a chairman statement or other forms of document describing the progress of the meeting.

"China hopes concerned parties to proceed their discussion on the implementation of the joint statement and structure of the fifth round of six-party talks", Song said.

 Song highlighted that the team is very important to process the consultation, however, when and how to establish expert teams still need to be further discussed.

"We don't have the plan to discuss the composition of the expert team in the current phase of the meeting", Song added.

Song said all the parties spoke positively on the convening of the meeting as scheduled, which reflects the strong will from concerned parties to discuss and substantially implement the joint statement.

He also expressed the South Korea's hope that the discussion should be proceed under the framework of the joint statement, warning that if the discussion breaks the framework, the implementation will be possibly undermined.

Song also revealed that several delegations, including South Korea delegation, have proposed to take some measures to build mutual trust during the process of "from words to actions", and they all agreed that the measures should not be unilateral.

"In another word, the measures should include North Korea's nuclear disarmament and other equivalent contents", Song stressed.

US chief delegate Christopher Hill said in the last day of talks that the first phase of the fifth-round six-party talks has "achieved benchmark" and technical meetings are to start afterwards, and that the delegations of Japan, South Korea and Russia have all made "good approaches and positive suggestions."

"There will be technical meetings and discussions" in the near future, he added, reiterating the US position to urge North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapon and uranium enrichment programs at an early date.

North Korean chief negotiator Kim Gye-gwan urged all concerned parties to take simultaneous actions to narrow the differences in line with the principle of "commitment for commitment, action for action."

"We have put forward our stances to implement the joint statement with the full will to reach the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, we have talked about issues of each other's concern, taking measures in a phased manner and building up confidence.", Kim said. 

He stressed that the US should lift the financial sanctions on North Korea. "At this round of talks, we have raised very seriously the financial sanctions imposed by the US," Kim said.

"The financial sanctions are in violation of the joint statement we have adopted and are going to hinder the implementation of the commitment we have made," Kim added.

North Korea and the US have agreed to hold bilateral talks during the recess to solve the financial sanctions issue, he noted.

"We have made a commitment on nuclear abandonment because the US has pledged not to pursue a hostile policy on North Korea and to coexist peacefully with North Korea," he said.

At the end of the talks China the host country issued the chairman’s statement, the statement reads:

The first session of the fifth round of the six-party talks was held in Beijing from November 9 to 11, 2005. The parties conducted serious, pragmatic and constructive discussions and put forward proposals on how to implement the Joint Statement of the fourth round of the six-party talks. The parties reaffirmed that they would fully implement the Joint Statement in line with the principle of "commitment for commitment, action for action," so as to realize the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at an early date and contribute to lasting peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia.

The Parties emphasized that they are willing to comprehensively implement the Joint Statement through confidence building, carry out all commitments in different areas, commence and conclude the process in a timely and coordinated manner and achieve balanced interests and win-win result through cooperation.

The parties agreed to formulate concrete plans, measures and steps to fulfill the Joint Statement in accordance with the afore-mentioned spirit.

The parties agreed to hold the second session of the fifth round of six-party talks at the earliest possible date.

The second phase of the 5th round of the six-party talks did not resume, and talks are deadlocked over US financial sanctions on North Korea.