Russia, China, Japan, the two Koreas and the United States gathered in the Chinese capital, Beijing, Monday for five days of discussions on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, ending a 13-month pause in the negotiating process.
Pyongyang pulled out of the previous round last November following Washington's demand that its accounts at a Macau-based bank be frozen for alleged money laundering and counterfeiting of U.S. currency.
On October 9 of this year, North Korea reported conducting its first test of a nuclear weapon.
Pyongyang's chief nuclear negotiator said Friday the future of talks depends on the position of the United States.
"The U.S. is not yet ready to withdraw its sanctions and renounce its hostile policy to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. I think it is clear with whom the responsibility lies. Sanctions are a display of a hostile course," Kim Kye-Gwan said.
Chinese envoy Wu Dawei said the delegates agreed to take coordinated steps toward implementing a September 2005 joint statement in which the North pledged to disarm in exchange for security guarantees and aid.
Russia's top negotiator said his delegation's efforts were aimed primarily at de-escalating tensions.
The Russian side "has pursued a line aimed at ensuring the nuclear-free status of the Korean Peninsula and strengthening security and cooperation in the region, which is adjacent to our Far Eastern borders," said Sergei Razov, who is also Russia's ambassador to China.
"In this connection, we have consistently urged our partners to show restraint and flexibility, [stressing] the need to exclude steps fraught with the danger of a further escalation of tensions," he said.
The U.S. negotiator, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, said earlier this week that Pyongyang has tried to divert the talks away from its nuclear weapons program by insisting that the possibility of scrapping it can only be discussed once financial sanctions are lifted.
The parties agreed to resume talks at the earliest opportunity, but fixed no new date.
