North Korea and the United States agreed Wednesday to resume the six-way talks over Pyongyang's nuclear program as soon as possible, China's Foreign Ministry said.
The announcement followed a second day of marathon talks here between North Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan and his American counterpart Christopher Hill.
It was not disclosed immediately whether they set a date for a new round of six-way talks, but diplomatic sources said Pyongyang and Washington failed to narrow differences on key issues such as a set of financial disputes. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who chairs the nuclear talks, brokered the Kim-Hill meeting.
"Through multiple rounds of trilateral and bilateral talks, the three sides exchanged views on pushing forward the process of the six-party talks and boosted their mutual understanding in a candid and in-depth manner," China's Foreign Ministry said on its Web site.
The three sides agreed to resume the six-way talks as early as possible, and strive for progress, it added. No other details were provided.
Sources said North Korea and the U.S. remained apart over a range of issues including U.S.-imposed economic sanctions on Pyongyang and what north Korea should do to show its will to discard its nuclear weapons.
The U.S. insists North Korea should take measures to show its will to implement last year's Sept. 19 joint statement, in which it agreed to abandon its nuclear program in return for security guarantees and economic aid.
Washington's misgivings over Pyongyang's attitude have grown since the reclusive nation conducted an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9 in defiance of a series of international warnings not to do so.
North Korea wants to be treated as a nuclear power and has shown greater interest in talks concerning the U.S. lifting restrictions on Macau-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA), which is accused of assisting North Korea with its alleged counterfeiting and money laundering.
The BDA issue is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to the nuclear talks.
Beijing, Nov. 29 (Yonhap News)
N. Korea, U.S. repeat agreement on early nuclear talks |
