China says six-way talks to open Monday

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- China has informed South Korea of its plan to open a
new round of six-way talks on the North Korean nuclear program on Monday, a Seoul
official said.
China hosts the negotiations also involving the United States, Russia, and Japan,
but it has not yet announced a schedule for the new round.
"The Chinese side told us a couple of days ago that (the talks) will open on
Monday afternoon and end Wednesday afternoon," a senior government official told
reporters, asking not to be named. "I think the other parties received the notice
as well."
The South Korean delegation plans to leave for Beijing on Sunday morning and have
a trilateral meeting with its American and Japanese counterparts to coordinate a
strategy to induce progress in the talks, he added.
The six-way forum was last held five months ago.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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