China urged "calmness and restraint" Thursday from the six parties in the talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) asked international inspectors to leave the country.
"We expect all sides to take a far-sighted view of the big picture, exercise calmness and restraint and properly address related issues to ensure the six-party process and safeguard peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular briefing.
The DPRK asked inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency Tuesday to stop their work and leave the country as soon as possible.
The DPRK move came one day after the UN Security Council adopted a statement on the country's recent rocket launch, which said that it was "in contravention of Security Council Resolution 1718" and demanded the country "not conduct any further launch."
Since the UN statement, "we have repeatedly stated our stance," Jiang said.
"It is all parties' consensus to advance the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through the six-party talks. We would like to maintain communication with all parties on the issue," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency April 16, 2009)
