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The U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill will reportedly meet his North Korean counterpart as he rolls up his sleeves for the upcoming six-party talks. Yonhap News says Hill and Kim Kye-gwan will likely meet in Singapore this week. Hill will stay in Singapore till Sunday and then head to Beijing for the crucial talks on North Korea's denuclearization.
The nuclear envoys from South Korea, China, Japan, the U.S. and Russia will work to get an agreement out of North Korea to allow nuclear sampling to take place as part of the second phase of denuclearization.
Washington believes Pyongyang already is obliged to go through with the sampling, but North Korea banned inspectors from extracting samples at its main Yongbyon nuclear facility earlier last month.
Another variable ahead is the exact date of the six-party talks. Washington previously said the six-party talks will resume on Dec. 8, but host nation China has not announced the exact date.
The meeting in Beijing is expected to be Hill's last mission as U.S. President George W. Bush aims to at least wrap up the current disablement stage and get on to the third phase of dismantlement before president-elect Barack Obama takes office.
Arirang News
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