|
The U.S. representative in stalled six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Christopher Hill, on Monday reiterated he has no plans for a meeting with his North Korean counterpart, who is attending the same forum in Tokyo.
Arriving to take part in the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue (NEACD) meeting, Hill told reporters the aim was not to arrange a bilateral meeting but to persuade North Korea to come back to the six-party negotiations.
The assistant secretary of state said discussions with North Korea had already been held in January in Beijing and again in March in New York. He expressed doubt about the usefulness of further bilateral meetings, saying such discussions must have an objective. That suggests the U.S. will not agree to any more bilateral meetings unless Pyongyang agrees to return to the six-nation talks. However, Hill said he will exchange opinions on the talks with his Korean, Japanese and Chinese counterparts, all of whom are attending the privately-sponsored forum.
Earlier in the day, North Korea's chief delegate Kim Kye-gwan appeared eager to meet with Hill. ¡°This is a good opportunity that's been a long time coming. I hope that we can meet,¡± Kim told reporters at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo prior to a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.
Pyongyang is boycotting the six-party talks in protest at U.S. financial sanctions over North Korea¡¯s alleged counterfeiting of dollars.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
