hankyoreh

The sixth round of the six-party talks on North Korea's denuclearization, with meetings slated to open at Beijing on September 19, will likely be postponed until the next week.

An official of the Seoul government on September 17 said, "China informed us that it will be difficult to open the meeting on September 19."'

China on September 14 officially proposed to open the next round of the six-nation talks on September 19-21, but says it is physically difficult to start the talks on that day because one of the participating countries has not yet given a reply, according to the official. Another high-ranking Korean government official who is familiar to the negotiations expects the meeting will open about next week.

Both officials asked to remain off record due to the sensitivity of the topic.

The country that has not yet replied is alleged to be North Korea. Regarding this, some observers raised the possibility that the North has not accepted the plan to open the meeting on September 19 in order to pressure China to keep its promise to the North to provide 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil. China announced that it would complete shipment of the oil by the middle of this month.

Other observers think that North Korea may judge it favorable to start the six-party talks after results of the election to choose the chairman of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) scheduled for September 23, a post that will in turn be the country's next prime minister. Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda who is considered a leading candidate to succeed just-resigned Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is advocating policy lines different from those of his predecessor, such as declaring that he will not pay a visit to controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese soldiers classified as war criminals are honored.

In connection with recent allegations that North Korea transferred nuclear materials to Syria, some observers raised the opinion that the North, in postponing the six-party talks, was expressing its displeasure with the charges. However, another Korean government official rejected such a view.

In relation to the possibility that the two Koreas are adjusting the schedule of the second inter-Korea summit, planned to be held in Pyongyang on October 2-4, the same official said, "The six-party talks will open before the summit.''

South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon stressed that nobody has definite proof related to the suspicion involving North Korea and Syria. Minister Song told reporters, "If Syria received nuclear materials, the nation should have facilities to put them in. As far as I know, Syria doesn't have such nuclear facilities."'