BEIJING: Marathon six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons drive continued for a seventh day on Monday, with officials saying the process was edging forward despite differences on key disarmament issues. Delegates spent nearly three-and-a-half hours looking at a revised Chinese proposal which aims to establish an agreed framework on how to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons.

Their consultations were delayed as the United States and North Korea held two more one-on-one meetings to work on the wording of the document, bringing the number of times they have met in the past week to eight.

“Chief negotiators from the six nations held frequent contacts for in-depth discussion on the wording of the draft joint document,” said a member of the Chinese delegation, quoted by Xinhua news agency. The first draft sparked fiery exchanges on Sunday between the sides, who are looking to find a solution to the standoff that began when the United States accused North Korea of running a secret uranium enrichment program in 2002.

The arguments boil down to whether North Korea should dismantle its weapons before it gets aid and security guarantees, as the US demands, or whether it gets the incentives first, which North Korea wants, officials say.—AFP