North Korea, US discuss resumption of nuclear talks

Nov 28, 2006, 8:15 GMT

Beijing - The chief negotiators of the Untied States and North Korea on Tuesday discussed the planned resumption of six-nation talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme, host nation China said.

The US and North Korean envoys held bilateral and trilateral meetings with China's chief negotiator, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Arriving in Beijing earlier on Tuesday, North Korean negotiator Kim Gye Kwan said he travelled to the Chinese capital at the 'kind invitation' of US negotiator Christopher Hill.

'There are a lot of issues between North Korea and the United States,' South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Kim as saying.

'We can participate in the [six-party] talks at any time on an equal status, as we have taken all the defensive measures to counter sanctions and pressure through the nuclear test,' Kim said.

Envoys from South Korea and Japan are also in Beijing, while Russia was the other country involved in previous rounds of six-party talks.

North Korea agreed in principle to return to the talks after a secret meeting between Hill and Kim in Beijing on October 31.

US and Chinese officials are keen to persuade North Korea to agree on a date for the resumption of the six-party talks.

China has hosted five rounds of talks over the past three years largely as a way to get the United States and North Korea to sit down together after Washington refused to hold direct bilateral talks with Pyongyang.

China condemned North Korea's nuclear test on October 9 but said it had continued trying to persuade all sides to reconvene the six-party talks.

After the nuclear test, the UN Security Council agreed on a catalogue of sanctions, including a sea and land blockade to monitor for trafficking in nuclear materials and technologies.

North Korea had appeared unwilling to resume talks unless the United States gives ground first on financial sanctions imposed by Washington late last year.

The US financial sanctions would be dealt with by a separate working group within the framework of the talks, Hill said earlier.