U.S. Extends N. Korea Stay for Nuke Talks
By Hyung-jin Kim
Associated Press Writer
October 2, 2008
CBNNews.com - SEOUL, South Korea - Washington's top nuclear envoy extended his stay in North Korea and held more talks Thursday in a bid to break an impasse over the communist country's nuclear program, officials said.
U.S. diplomat Christopher Hill went to North Korea on Wednesday to meet with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Gwan, at the reclusive nation's invitation, U.S. officials said. He stayed the night, and the two sides were holding more talks Thursday, officials said.
The process of dismantling North Korea's nuclear program has been stalled since the North abandoned a 2007 disarmament-for-aid pact in mid-August, citing Washington's refusal to remove it from a terrorism blacklist. The U.S. maintains that the agreement required North Korea to submit to a thorough verification of its nuclear accounting - a demand it has rejected.
North Korea recently began reassembling its nuclear reprocessing plant in Yongbyon amid concern about its leader's health. Kim Jong Il, 66, has not been seen in public for more than a month since reportedly suffering a stroke.
Hill was expected to propose ways to adjust the sequencing of steps North Korea must take as part of verification, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Wednesday in Washington.
A senior U.S. official said earlier that Hill would offer to let North Korea agree to a verification program - but submit details first to its Chinese allies. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
China in the past has served "as a repository for documents and information" and could do the same with the verification protocol, McCormack said. But he stressed that the North Koreans had to agree to the intrusive steps the United States is demanding.
"The ball is in the North Koreans' court," he said. "They have to reverse their reversal and they have to approve a verification regime."
The U.S. official suggested that if North Korea agreed to a verification plan, Washington would provisionally remove it from the list of terrorism sponsors.
U.S. officials said they were not sure North Korea would agree to the idea or, if it did, whether any proposals it presented to the Chinese would be acceptable to Washington.
After leaving North Korea, Hill is to travel to Seoul to brief his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sook, about the trip before flying on to China, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
It was unclear exactly when Hill and his team, traveling by car, would arrive in South Korea. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Hill would not arrive Thursday as planned.
Last week, North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear monitors to leave its Yongbyon facility.
In a further sign of defiance, there were indications that North Korea has begun restoring the site where it conducted its first nuclear test blast in October 2006, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.
Smoke was seen rising from the Punggyeri site in the country's northeast, Yonhap cited an unidentified South Korean government official as saying. The official said it could indicate North Korea is trying to repair the site for use.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said it could not confirm the report.
Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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