N Korea, U.S. resume talks on nuclear verification

SINGAPORE, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- Chief North Korean and U.S. nuclear envoys on Friday began their second day of negotiations here on ways to verify Pyongyang's recent nuclear declaration, a North Korean embassy official confirmed.
"Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan left for the U.S. Embassy and the meeting is
now under way," a North Korean embassy official said, reached by phone.
Kim's meeting Friday with Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill began far
later than expected.
Diplomatic sources said Kim seemed to have waited for instructions from Pyongyang
on how to respond to the U.S. position delivered a day earlier.
Before heading to meet the North Korean diplomat, Hill told reporters, "I think
they have a clear understanding of what we need in terms of how to go forward."
Kim and Hill had lengthy discussions on Thursday about issues to be discussed at
a new round of six-way talks on the communist nation's nuclear program. Host
China has already informed South Korea of its plan to open the negotiations on
Monday afternoon for a three-day run, according to Seoul officials.
Whether North Korea will allow international inspectors to take samples from its
nuclear sites is expected to be a key sticking point at the upcoming Beijing
talks, which are mainly aimed at producing a verification protocol.
Pyongyang and Washington want to pave the way for a deal at the six-way talks
through their consultations here on the format and wording of the document.
"The issue is not the verification, the issue is how to express it in a piece of
paper ahead of time so there are no misunderstandings when the time comes," Hill
said.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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