Sticking point: 症结

第四轮朝鲜核问题六方会谈业已在8月7日宣布休会。这个阶段的会议未能发表人们所期待的共同文件，但在会后由中国副外长武大伟宣布的《主席声明》显示，六方一致同意用和平方式解决朝鲜半岛无核化问题是共同目标，下一阶段会谈将在8月29日开始的那一周恢复。外电报道如下：After meeting for 13 straight days, diplomats from the United States, North Korea and four other Asia-region powers decided Sunday to take a recess from talks aimed at getting North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program.

The six-party talks have so fair failed to result in an agreement. The sticking point, officials said Sunday, was North Korea's refusal to abandon all its nuclear programs.

"The issue of getting rid of nuclear weapons should be an obvious one, should be an easy one," said Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the U.S. envoy to the talks.

But, he said, given the fact that North Korea had been involved in nuclear weapons programs for more than 20 years, that decision was "difficult" one for them.

Sticking point意为“顶住点，关键，症结”，尤指可能造成僵局的要点、问题或形势。

据悉，本轮六方会谈开始前，有关各方曾在是否要继续六方会谈，六方会谈是否仍由六方参加等一系列重大问题上发表过各自的主张，各方分歧甚大。在这种背景下，有关六方重新肯定六方会谈的重大意义和价值，而且聚到一起认真会谈，并确立通过和平手段解决朝鲜半岛无核化是各方的共同目标，这本身便是一个巨大成就。