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North Korea's Kim Kye-gwan (L) walks out of the North Korean ambassador's residence to speak to the media after his meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill in Singapore on Tuesday./REUTERS
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The U.S. and North Korea on Tuesday reached tentative agreement on the declaration of the North's nuclear programs, an issue that has been shelved for more than three months. The top nuclear negotiators of the two countries were meeting in Singapore.
If the two governments approve the deal, six-nation nuclear talks, which have been suspended since October, will likely resume in early May. Then the participating nations can begin discussions on verifying the accuracy of the declaration and the dismantlement of North Korean nuclear facilities.
Chief U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill met his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore. After the meeting, Hill said, "The process went beyond Geneva¡± -- a reference to an earlier agreement. ¡°Depending on what we hear back from capitals by tomorrow, I think there will be some further announcements very soon." Kim said, "The meeting proceeded smoothly. We narrowed differences in views to a considerable extent."
In their meeting, the two sides reportedly agreed on wording in the declaration, which will not be released to the public, regarding suspicions about the North's uranium enrichment program and transfer of nuclear technology to Syria. A diplomatic source said, "The wording in the declaration will probably persuade the U.S. Congress."
In Beijing on Wednesday, Hill will brief chief South Korean negotiator Chun Yung-woo and chief negotiators from China, Japan and Russia on the meeting. If the governments of the U.S. and North Korea approve the latest deal in Singapore, then they are expected to announce that the declaration issue is settled.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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