Top nuclear negotiators from the United States and North Korea
are expected to meet in New York in the next couple of weeks, State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Monday.
"I would expect that Chris Hill, our assistant secretary for
East Asian and Pacific affairs, would have a meeting at some point
with his six-party talk counterpart, Mr. Kim Kye Gwan. I would
expect that to happen in New York," McCormack said at a
briefing.
Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's vice foreign minister, has been
heading the North Korean delegation in the six-party talks.
Kim Kye Gwan is expected to arrive in San Francisco first for
talks with private organizations, McCormack said.
McCormack added that the working group meeting between the two
sides will also meet in New York as part of the six-party agreement
that was signed earlier this month in Beijing.
The six-party talks ended in Beijing on Feb. 13 with a joint
statement on the first step toward the denuclearization on the
Korean Peninsula.
Under the document, North Korea will shut down and seal the
Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility, and
invite back IAEA personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring and
verifications.
According to the document, the parties agreed to the provision
of emergency energy assistance to the North Korea in the initial
phase, and the assistance equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel
oil will commence within 60 days.
(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2007)
