North Korea, US plan nuclear envoy visits -report

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

SEOUL, Feb 15 (Reuters) The chief nuclear negotiators of North Korea and the United States are planning to visit each other's capital soon, a diplomatic source in Seoul was quoted as saying in a South Korean news report today.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan was likely to go to Washington first. The visits would be part of an effort to improve ties after a breakthrough deal this week on shutting down the North's nuclear arms programme, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said.

''I understand Assistant Secretary of State (Christopher) Hill and Vice Minister Kim talked about making reciprocal visits when they met in Berlin last month and at Beijing talks,'' the diplomatic source was quoted as saying by Chosun Ilbo.

''It looks like the idea will become reality soon,'' he said.

South Korea's foreign ministry declined to comment.

Kim and Hill signed the deal, which would compensate the North with energy aid in return for shuttering its nuclear arms programmes, at six-way talks in Beijing that also involved South Korea, Russia, Japan and China.

The deal set up separate discussions between the two countries to ease hostility.

Hill said this week that he had invited Kim to come to New York as part of those discussions. Hill has not visited Pyongyang but has previously said he could go if the conditions were right.

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