US negotiator on North Korea will return to China

WASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) The top US negotiator on North Korea will return to Beijing this weekend to prepare for six-party talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the State Department said today.

US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who returned to Washington on Tuesday after talks in China, would head back to Beijing on Sunday for further discussions, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said.

''While he is back there he will be continuing his consultations with the Chinese government on what we need to do to be able to launch the next round of six-party talks,'' said Casey.

Hill said yesterday that he expected the six-party talks to resume in mid-December. The talks bring together the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas.

The six-party discussions have been stalled for more than a year after the United States imposed financial restrictions on Pyongyang, which launched an underground nuclear test last month.

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