U.S. says Berlin meetings with DPRK signal no policy change

The United States insisted on Thursday that the meetings between officials from the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Berlin do not signal a change of long-standing U.S. policy that does not negotiate directly with the DPRK.

"This is not an instance of bilateral negotiations," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

The Berlin meetings between the two sides were just part of the six-party talks aimed at resolving the nuclear issue of the DPRK, Snow said.

Snow made the comments after U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and DPRK's negotiator Kim Kye-Gwan met in Berlin on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to a report by the Washington Post on Thursday, Hill was cited as saying that if the DPRK gives up its nuclear programs, the Untied States is willing to engage in "a bilateral process" to establish a "normal relationship."

Hill's comments marked the first time a U.S. official has publicly emphasized the possibility of such bilateral discussions, something the Pyongyang government has long sought, the report said.

The United States has sought to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue through the six-party talks involving the United States, the DPRK, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan.

Source: Xinhua