US says N Korea to disable nuclear programme end '07

GENEVA, Sept 2 (Reuters) U S Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill said today that North Korea ''will provide a full declaration of all their nuclear programmes and will disable their nuclear programmes by the end of this year, 2007.'' The details will be discussed during the six party talks scheduled for later this month in China, Hill said at the end of a second day of discussions in Geneva with North Korea's top nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan.

There was no immediate comment from the North Korean negotiator.

North Korea hosted US envoys at its mission in Geneva today for the second and final day of talks aimed at smoothing relations between the 1950-53 Korean War opponents and speeding up Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament.

The six-way negotiations have moved slowly since September 2005, when North Korea agreed in principle to end its nuclear programme in return for economic and diplomatic benefits.

After the Geneva meetings with the US delegation, North Korean negotiators will hold bilateral talks with Japan aimed at overcoming frictions.

A six-party plenary session, involving North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, is then expected to be held in mid-September in Beijing.

REUTERS RS KP2054