Wednesday, November 9 2005 15:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Beijing: The six-party talks on the vexed North Korean nuclear issue opened here today (Nov 09, 2005) with China calling for a 'responsible, flexible and pragmatic' attitude from other partners to ensure a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

"I hope the parties concerned could continue to participate in consultations in an earnest, responsible, flexible and pragmatic attitude so as to seek solutions acceptable to all parties," Chinese chief negotiator Wu Dawei said at the opening session of the three-day talks.

The main task of the fifth-round of six-party talks is "to outline details, ways and procedures for the implementation of the joint statement adopted in September," Wu, also Chinese Vice Foreign Minister and host of the talks, said.

The task should be fulfilled in line with the principle of "commitment to commitment and action to action," Wu said.

The United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan are involved in the in-camera six-way talks hosted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry here. The first round of six-way talks was held in Beijing in August 2003.

Earlier, the chief US negotiator said that Washington will insist that North Korean should abandon its atomic ambitions first in return for economic and security guarantees.

North Korea should first abandon its nuclear programme and create a nuclear-free Korea Peninsula, then other issues could be discussed, US chief negotiator Christopher Hill before embarking for the talks.