EarthTimes
7 Apr 2008
Singapore - Top US envoy Christopher Hill said Monday "some progress" has to be made at critical talks with his North Korean counterpart to break the months-long deadlock over Pyongyang's stalled nuclear disarmament. "We can't afford any further delays," Hill told reporters on arriving in Singapore for Tuesday's talks with North Korea's Kim Kye Gwan, who arrived at Changi Airport earlier from Beijing and was whisked away by North Korean officials.
"Getting back to having a six-party meeting as soon as possible" is the priority, said Hill, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, who was scheduled to meet Singapore officials late Monday before Tuesday's talks at a hotel.
The talks have been deadlocked since North Korea missed an end-of-2007 deadline to declare its nuclear programmes.
Although the US State Department cautioned against expecting too much, a diplomatic source said that the willingness of North Korea's top nuclear negotiator to come to the city-state was an optimistic development. North Korea has an embassy in Singapore.
Pyongyang has claimed it provided a list months ago, but the US said the declaration was not complete and failed to address suspicions over a uranium-enrichment programme and proliferation to Syria.
Washington regards disclosure of the entire programme as essential for the resumption of the six-nation nuclear talks with North Korea that also include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.
Hill and Kim were unable to break the impasse during March negotiations in Geneva.
Hill was scheduled to fly to Beijing for discussions with Chinese officials after the talks with Kim. China, North Korea's closest ally, hosts the six-way talks.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/197244,us-north-korea-set-for-nuclear-talks-in-singapore--summary.html
