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US points to "useful" talks with N. Korea over nuclear arms program

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, Jan 17, IRNA
Germany-US-North Korea
The top US negotiator in the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program, referred to "useful discussions" with North Korea's deputy foreign minister Kim Kye-gwan in Berlin on Tuesday.

"I think when you meet for six hours you could characterize them as useful discussions," US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill said Wednesday in the German capital where he held a speech at Berlin's American Academy on the future of the six-nation talks.

Hill held informal talks Tuesday with his North Korean counterpart at the US embassy in Berlin, however he refused to get into the specifics of his discussions.

Talks were due to be resumed later in the day at the North Korean diplomatic mission in Berlin and could be continued on Thursday, added Hill who expressed hope that the stalled six-party negotiations could be restarted by "the end of January".

The top US official stressed that the basis of the next round of six-party talks has to be the September 2005 joint statement which calls for North Korea's abandonment of its existing nuclear weapons program.

Hill said the primary objective of the six-nation talks is the "de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula".

He reiterated that nuclear weapons in the hands of North Korea is "simply unacceptable".

"North Korea has to understand it has come at a crossroad where it has to choose between nuclear weapons and or its future in the international community".

Hill who was nominated top US nuclear negotiator to the six-party negotiations in early 2005, pledged again that his country had no plans to attack or invade North Korea.

The last meeting of the six-party talks took place in Beijing from December 18-22.

It was the first six-nation meeting since Pyongyang triggered worldwide outrage by testing a nuclear bomb on October 9.

OT/2321/1412