By RIA Novosti
Moscow : South Korea hopes talks with North Korea could be started to end officially the 1950-53 Korean War when Pyongyang’s denuclearization schedule reaches a ‘proper stage,’ Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said Thursday.
The two Koreas have been technically ‘at war’ since the 1950-53 Korean War. However, any formal peace treaty would require the participation of the US and China, which were also involved in the conflict.
Washington has so far been reluctant to discuss a peace treaty until Pyongyang totally dismantles its nuclear programme facilities.
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“In six-party talks held Tuesday, involving South and North Korea, China, the US, Russia and Japan, Pyongyang agreed to disable the Yongbyon reactor by the end of the year, in exchange for 450,000 metric tonnes of heavy fuel oil, along with equipment needed to upgrade its thermal power facilities, equivalent to 500,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil.
“With North Korea’s initial stage toward denuclearization now being started, I expect negotiations on building a peace regime will start at an appropriate time,” Song said.
US top negotiator Christopher Hill said participants in the six-nation talks would have to work hard in the next two months to ensure North Korea’s denuclearization.
Hill said his country would like the six nations to hold a ministerial meeting on North Korea later this year, with working schedules currently being coordinated.
A group of US nuclear experts left for Pyongyang earlier in the day, as North Korea was expected Thursday to start disabling its nuclear facilities.
The leaders of two Koreas signed an historic joint declaration at a summit early October in Pyongyang, pledging a commitment to peace talks and a range of economic ties.