International talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear programs will resume February 8, China said Tuesday, as Washington and Pyongyang began a new round of meetings over the North's alleged illicit financial dealings. The last round of arms talks in December — held in the wake of the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test — failed to make any progress on getting Pyongyang to disarm. The duration of the nuclear discussions next week "will depend on the progress made during the talks," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu. The negotiations have only resulted in one agreement since they began more than three years ago, a September 2005 pact where the North pledged to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees. Jiang said the key goal at the next meeting would be to take "substantive steps" toward implementing that agreement between China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas. "We hope the relevant parties can make joint efforts ... toward implementing the joint statement in a comprehensive way," Jiang said at a regular news briefing, according to a report of the Associated Press. A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday that the talks were expected to end before the Chinese New Year — China's biggest holiday — that starts Feb. 18. South Korea, North Korea and the U.S. held meetings with their Chinese counterpart in Beijing, a move that helped establish when the next round of nuclear talks would be, Jiang said. Such "contacts have laid the basis for the resumption of talks," she said.
