Search
US envoy says talks with NKorea 'substantive'
SEOUL, South Korea - The chief U.S. nuclear envoy said Friday his negotiations in North Korea were "substantive" and "lengthy," but gave no indication how much progress he made in persuading the communist nation to resume dismantling its nuclear program.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill returned to Seoul earlier Friday, wrapping up an extended three-day trip to the North on a mission to defuse tension that has spiked in recent weeks following Pyongyang's moves to restart its nuclear program.
"The meetings were indeed very lengthy, indeed very substantive," Hill told reporters after talks with his South Korean counterpart Kim Sook.
Hill refused to disclose further details, saying he should first report to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the other nations in the six-party talks that also involve China, Japan and Russia.
"We had a lot of catching up to do and needless to say, there have been a lot of problems in the six-party process. So indeed, we did quite a substantial review of the activities in the last couple of months," Hill said, referring to the North's decision to reverse disarmament steps.
North Korea earlier began disabling its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon under an aid-for-disarmament pact negotiated by the six nations, but abruptly stopped in mid-August, citing Washington's refusal to remove it from a terrorism blacklist. The U.S. maintains that the pact requires North Korea to submit to a thorough verification of its nuclear accounting _ a demand rejected by the North.
"Obviously the issue in Yongbyon is an issue that has been great concern to us and obviously that was one of the points that I conveyed," Hill said, adding that he has no information on whether the North still keeps trying to restart the atomic complex.
Hill later met with Japan's nuclear envoy Akitaka Saiki, who flew to Seoul earlier in the day. On Saturday, the U.S. diplomat is scheduled to travel to Beijing to brief Chinese officials about his North Korea trip.
North Korea's defiance comes amid concern about authoritarian leader Kim Jong Il's health. Kim, 66, has not been seen in public since he reportedly suffered a stroke in August.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday that Hill did not present North Korea with any proposals for substantive changes to the verification proposal, but rather suggestions on how the "choreography" or timing of the process could be adjusted, perhaps by involving North Korea's main ally, China.
"There have been various plans in the past where instruments, declarations, et cetera, have been deposited with Beijing and then shared subsequently with the other five parties, while other commitments from the five parties move forward," McCormack said.
It was unclear Friday how North Korea reacted to the face-saving measure designed to salvage the disarmament pact.
"The ball is really in the North Koreans' court," McCormack reiterated.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Recommend this article
- Average (0 votes)
- Sign in to recommend this article »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
- Sri Lankan troops kill 18 rebelsAFP - 1 hour 4 minutes ago
- 'Japanese O.J.' kills self after extradition to USAFP - Sunday, October 12
- Burials after blast at anti-Taliban talks in PakistanAFP - Sunday, October 12
- NKorea off US blacklist after nuke inspection dealAP - Sunday, October 12
- Mazda says no decision on sale of Ford's stakeAP - Sunday, October 12