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US, NKorea progress in nuclear talks
Geneva,
Sept
2:
Top
negotiators
from
the
United
States
and
North
Korea
said
today
they
had
made
progress
on
the
first
day
of
talks
meant
to
advance
an
international
effort
to
end
Pyongyang's
nuclear
programme.
US Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan briefed reporters independently after the first day of weekend talks at the US mission in Geneva. Talks continue tomorrow.
Their session, aimed at normalising relations between the countries that fought each other in the 1950-53 Korean War, was expected to focus on how the Stalinist state will disable and account for its nuclear facilities, as promised in a February ''six-party'' deal.
''We do have a long way to go on many of these issues but I think we reached substantial understanding between the two of us on what needs to be accomplished in the months ahead,'' Hill said after the first day of meetings with Kim.
''All in all it was a very substantive discussion today. One of the most substantive we have had,'' he added.
Speaking in Korean, Kim told reporters: ''The meeting went well today.'' North Korea agreed in principle in 2005 in six-way talks with South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States to abandon its nuclear programme in return for economic and diplomatic benefits, though progress has been slow since.
Kim said that agreement had been discussed today and that there had been discussions on how to implement the next steps and what the six parties should do.
''I expect this (two-day) meeting will have a fruitful result,'' he said.
Under a February 13 deal between the six countries, North Korea said it would disable its nuclear facilities and give a full accounting of its entire nuclear programme, though details of how it would do so have not been made clear.
US officials believe that North Korea, which tested a nuclear device in October, may have enough nuclear fuel to make more than eight or nine atomic weapons. Hill stressed that the United States wanted to see details of North Korea's uranium enrichment in its full declaration.
Reuters
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