NKorea agrees to return to nuclear talks

BEIJING, Oct 31 (Reuters) North Korea agreed today to return to stalled six-party talks on ending its nuclear programmes some three weeks after staging its first nuclear test and a US envoy said he expected ''substantial progress''.

In an informal meeting in Beijing, North Korea, the United States and China agreed to resume talks in the near future at a time convenient for all six parties, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on its Web site.

The other three countries involved in the talks are South Korea, Japan and Russia. A fifth round of talks in Beijing broke off last November without progress and North Korea later protested over a US crackdown on its international finances.

US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told a news conference that he expected ''substantial progress'' from the next round of talks, possibly in November or December, after he met his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye-gwan, in Beijing.

North Korea had made no explicit promises not to conduct any further nuclear tests, Hill said, adding that the UN Security Council resolution on Pyongyang remained in force.

''I think it's self-evident they should not engage in such provocations,'' Hill said of further tests.

The talks would address North Korea's concerns with the US financial measures, possibly through a working group, he said, adding that Pyongyang needed to abandon ''illicit activities'' that Washington has said include currency counterfeiting.

The UN Security Council voted on Octobr 14 to impose financial and arms sanctions on North Korea after its October 9 nuclear test.

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