US, China meet on reviving NKorea nuclear talks

TOKYO, Apr 11 (Reuters) Chinese and U.S. negotiators today held talks in Tokyo to seek a way to bring North Korea back to six-party talks on its nuclear weapons programme, but Washington's envoy insisted the ball was in Pyongyang's court.

U S Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said it was time for North Korea to make up its mind to return to the negotiations, which have been stalled since the last round in Beijing in November.

But Hill added that he saw little need to meet his North Korean counterpart, who is also attending a conference in Tokyo.

''They've got to get themselves to Beijing, bring some position on how they are going to denuclearise,'' Hill told reporters.

''We have done our homework. They need to do their homework, and then we need to get on with it.'' Hill also said he had no plans to meet Kim Kye-gwan, Pyongyang's top negotiator at the six-party talks, aimed at preventing a nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Kim said yesterday that Washington must lift what he called financial sanctions against North Korea before it would return to the table. Hill has said Pyongyang must not set preconditions.

All of the chief delegates to the six-party talks are in Tokyo, most of them to attend a private forum on security issues.

Hill met the top Chinese envoy and host of the six-party negotiations, Wu Dawei, today.

Wu, who had originally planned to return home today, extended his stay in Tokyo at least for a day, a Chinese official said.

Analysts have said China, the host of the six-way talks and a close ally of North Korea, is keen to get agreement to resume the negotiations before President Hu Jintao meets U S President George W. Bush in Washington next week.

TO MEET OR NOT TO MEET? Despite the tough talk, speculation persists that the U S and North Korean negotiators might meet on the sidelines of the Tokyo forum.

Washington has cracked down on financial institutions that it suspects of assisting Pyongyang in illicit financial activities, including money laundering and counterfeiting U S currency.

The U S Treasury Department has branded Macau-based Banco Delta Asia as a ''willing pawn'' in North Korea's illicit financial activities.

North Korea denies any involvement in such activities, while Washington says the crackdown is purely a law enforcement matter and is separate from the six-party process.

''Our concern is illicit activities (that) are pretty small issues. We are talking about million in Macau,'' Hill said, adding that Pyongyang could benefit far more economically if it halted its nuclear programmes.

The six countries in the talks are the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and China. They agreed in September that North Korea would end all nuclear programmes in return for aid and a promise of security and better diplomatic ties.

But the last session in November, aimed at compiling a plan to implement that deal, yielded no progress.

Reuters SB DB1019