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North Korea says it has reached agreement with the U.S. on its nuclear declaration and the political rewards it will receive from Washington. A spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry made the remarks Wednesday while briefing reporters about the results of a Tuesday meeting between the two countries¡¯ chief negotiators to six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear problem in Singapore.
The spokesman said the Singapore agreement ¡°proved the effectiveness of talks¡± between Pyongyang and Washington. Since he spoke of an ¡°agreement¡±, the North and the U.S. are thought to have found common ground on North Korea¡¯s disclosure of its nuclear activities and program, now nearly four months overdue, and the U.S.¡¯ removal of the North from a terrorist sponsor list.
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Christopher Hill, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and top envoy for the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament agreement, gestures during a briefing at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday. /AFP
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However, the U.S. top nuclear envoy Christopher Hill in a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday only spoke of, "progress¡± on the matter. ¡°Time and logistics, they can be obstacles. But we are dealing with time and logistics,¡± he said. He said he would brief U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the matter. ¡°I¡¯ll be talking about this, where we are, with Secretary Rice, and I think I have a Congressional hearing on Thursday.¡±
If he sounded cautious, it may have been because striking North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and other rewards require due procedure.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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