The working group on the denuclearization of Korean Peninsula will
continue its meeting in Beijing on Sunday, focusing on the
disablement and declaration of nuclear facilities in North
Korea.
"The real issue ... is to get to the next stage of disablement
and declaration. I think both would be the real focus of what we're
doing today," US chief negotiator Christopher Hill said before
leaving his hotel on Sunday morning.
The North Korea agreed to give full declaration of its nuclear
programs and disable all its nuclear facilities within the initial
60-day phase, according to the joint statement reached at the end
of last round of six-party talks.
Hill revealed that there will be a trilateral meeting and some
additional bilateral meetings may also probably be held during the
plenary session of Sunday's denuclearization working group
talks.
Hill confirmed that he will meet with Chinese and Russian
delegation, and "have another meeting plan" with chief North Korea
delegate Kim Kye-Gwan.
"We may just review the first day of denuclearization working
group meeting," he said.
"I emphasize we were not just interested in stopping in the 60
days or stopping in disablement. We want to continue to implement
the September agreement," Hill added.
The six-party talks working group on the denuclearization of the
Korean Peninsula began its first meeting Saturday morning, with Wu
Dawei, chief negotiator of the Chinese delegation as well as the
head of the working group, presiding over the meeting.
The US and North Korea are still divided on the issue of BDA
(Banco Delta Asia), a Macao-based bank the US suspected of helping
North Korea launder money from illicit activities.
Kim said upon his arrival that North Korea would not shut down
the Yongbyon nuclear reactor if the United States did not first
lift financial bans on North Korea accounts in the BDA.
"We've resolved it from our point of view and now we have to
explain it to everyone's satisfaction," said Hill, stressing that
the BDA issue would not be a problem in six-party talks
process.
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2007)
