6-party process on N Korea enters new phase: US

Washington, Dec 14: The Bush administration has lauded the role of China in helping the six-party talks process on North Korea enter a new phase in which Pyongyang appears ready to discuss specific steps towards ending its nuclear ambitions.

Talking to newsmen here yesterday, Chief US delegate to the talks Christopher Hill recalled the agreement reached in-principle in September last year under which North Korea promised to give up its nuclear programme in return for economic aid and security guarantees.

He said the upcoming talks, beginning in Beijing next week, would be on implementation of that framework.

Mr Hill said he was hoping to see some tangible results by the time the new round breaks in about a week for the Christmas holiday period.

The multi-party talks broke down in October last year after the US imposed sanctions on a Macao bank, alleging that it was a hub for illicit North Korean financial activity.

North Korea announced its return to talks in late October, three weeks after testing its first nuclear device which attracted UN Security Council sanctions.

Mr Hill said China's ''unprecedented'' close cooperation was instrumental in facilitating discussions between the US and North Korea on November 27-28. During those discussions, ''there were indications that the North Koreans would be prepared to deal in specifics at the coming round,'' he said.

The United States' and China's goals in the talks "are pretty close to identical, he added.

UNI