The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) started talks here Saturday, with an aim to promote the denuclearization process on the Korean Peninsula and explore possibility of normalizing relations between the two countries.
The working group talks are being held at the U.S. mission to the United Nations and other organizations in Geneva, with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan heading each other's delegation.
The talks started just after 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) in one of the U.S.mission's smaller conference rooms. The two delegations are seated face-to-face at the table, the U.S. mission said in a statement.
The U.S. delegation has nine participants, while the DPRK delegation has eight participants, the statement added.
Ahead of the talks, Hill expressed hope that the two-day meeting could create the basis for the next round of six-party nuclear negotiations in Beijing, which also involve China, South Korea, Japan and Russia besides the DPRK and the United States.
"It's my hope that we will see that we have a basis for going to the plenary meeting -- which we anticipate will be in Beijing sometime in the early part of September," Hill told reporters in a hotel by the Geneva Lake.
He also hoped that an "implementation arrangement" could be set up for the complete disablement and declaration of the DPRK's nuclear facilities.
The bilateral working group meeting is being held under a six-party agreement reached on Feb. 13, in which the DPRK pledged to dismantle its nuclear facilities in return for aid and security and diplomatic guarantees, especially normalization of ties with the United States.
The two sides already held a round of meeting in New York in March, which officials said achieved positive results.
But Hill reiterated Friday that the relationship between the United States and the DPRK could not improve much until the country fully dismantles its nuclear program.
"I've said many times that with denuclearization a lot of things are possible, but without it we're not going to get very far," Hill said.
He also said the United States currently has no intention to remove the DPRK from a list of countries accused of "sponsoring terrorism," although it has repeatedly demanded this in the six-party nuclear talks.
"I'm not prepared to say precisely when it could be done at this point, but obviously it's an important issue with respect to our working group," he said.
He added that the two sides would continue to discuss the issue in the working group meeting and try to figure out "at what stage that could be done."
The DPRK has shut down a key nuclear reactor in Yongbyon in line with the Feb. 13 agreement.
But the United States insists that the DPRK completely declare and disable its nuclear arsenal before any establishment of ties between the two countries, which have been enemies for over 50 years.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article