Japanese and North Korean envoys met in Dalian on Saturday and Sunday in a bid to set a date for bilateral discussions under the six-party denuclearization talks, Japan's ambassador Yoshiki Mine said Sunday. Mine, ambassador in charge of normalization talks with North Korea, confirmed in a telephone conversation with Kyodo News that he met with his North Korean counterpart Song Il Ho in the northeastern Chinese port city, but declined to give further details. The meeting comes at a time when the two countries are trying to determine a date and venue for a meeting of the Japan-North Korea working group, one of five panels under the six-way framework that must meet by the end of the month. Mine and Song are expected to be the chief delegates of their countries at the working group meeting, which will deal with bitter bilateral disputes including one over Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s. An informed source in Mongolia said the same day that Japan and North Korea have agreed to Mongolia's proposal to hold bilateral talks in the country, although the source did not say whether the talks suggested were those of the working group. The source also said a date for such a meeting has yet to be determined. Asked whether the bilateral discussions will be held in Mongolia, Mine said, ''I can't say. '' Mine said he will be returning to Japan on Monday. The chief delegates from the six nations -- North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia -- agreed in their last talks in July to hold meetings of all five working groups by the end of August to pave the way for a full six-party session. Three of the working group meetings have already been held, and the fourth on relations between the United States and North Korea is slated to be held in Geneva on Sept.
