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US envoy ready for N Korea talks N Korea nuclear talks to resume
(about 11 hours later)
The US envoy to talks on North Korea's nuclear programme has said he will meet Pyongyang's negotiator face-to-face on Sunday ahead of six-party talks. Six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programme are to resume after a year's break, amid US warnings Pyongyang is at "a fork in the road".
The talks resume in Beijing on Monday after a break of more than a year. North Korea alarmed the world by testing a nuclear weapon in October, prompting the UN to impose financial and arms sanctions.
Christopher Hill said he will meet his North Korean counterpart to discuss US sanctions imposed after the Pyongyang's nuclear test in October. Observers says there will be relief the talks are resuming but scepticism about the chance of a major breakthrough.
The negotiations also include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.
International condemnation
UN sanctions were imposed on North Korea after it tested a missile in July and then exploded its first nuclear weapon in October, leading to a wave of international condemnation.
N KOREA NUCLEAR PROGRAMME Believed to have 'handful' of nuclear weaponsBut not thought to have any small enough to put in a missileCould try dropping from plane, though world watching closely
The US envoy to talks on North Korea's programme held initial talks with Chinese and South Korean envoys in Beijing on Sunday.
"I hope (North Korea) understands... that we really are reaching a fork in the road," he said after arriving in the Chinese capital.
"We can either go forward on a diplomatic track or you have to go to a much more difficult track.
"That is a track that involves sanctions and I think ultimately will really be very harmful to the (North's) economy."
Mr Hill told the BBC that that the US still had no intention of accepting North Korea as a nuclear power.Mr Hill told the BBC that that the US still had no intention of accepting North Korea as a nuclear power.
But the North Korean envoy to the talks, Kim Kye-gwan, said his country needed nuclear weapons as a deterrent.But the North Korean envoy to the talks, Kim Kye-gwan, said his country needed nuclear weapons as a deterrent.
"The biggest problem is that the United States needs to change its hostile policy against North Korea," he said."The biggest problem is that the United States needs to change its hostile policy against North Korea," he said.
"When they change their policy from a hostile stance to one of peaceful coexistence, the problem can be resolved." "When they change their policy from a hostile stance to one of peaceful co-existence, the problem can be resolved."
Mr Hill told the BBC's Newshour programme the US did not believe the Pyongyang's assertion that it needs nuclear weapons to ensure its security.
"We have a hostile attitude to their nuclear programmes," Mr Hill said.
But he added: "We have made abundantly clear directly to them... that we have absolutely no intention of attacking or invading North Korea."
Starting pointStarting point
Diplomats have previously indicated that the US may be willing to offer North Korea a security guarantee if it halts nuclear plans.Diplomats have previously indicated that the US may be willing to offer North Korea a security guarantee if it halts nuclear plans.
Mr Hill has also indicated Washington is prepared to discuss easing financial sanctions, as requested by Pyongyang.Mr Hill has also indicated Washington is prepared to discuss easing financial sanctions, as requested by Pyongyang.
Low hopes for talks Text of September 2005 deal North Korea nuclear timeline But both remain divided over the key question of the North's nuclear programme.Low hopes for talks Text of September 2005 deal North Korea nuclear timeline But both remain divided over the key question of the North's nuclear programme.
The six-party negotiations involve North Korea, the US, China, which hosts the talks, as well as key regional powers South Korea, Japan and Russia.
North Korea walked out of the last round of talks in November last year in protest at US restrictions imposed on a Macau-based bank linked to alleged money-laundering by Pyongyang.North Korea walked out of the last round of talks in November last year in protest at US restrictions imposed on a Macau-based bank linked to alleged money-laundering by Pyongyang.
Two months earlier, in September 2005, Pyongyang had agreed to abandon its nuclear programme in return for US security guarantees and aid in a deal that was hailed as historic.Two months earlier, in September 2005, Pyongyang had agreed to abandon its nuclear programme in return for US security guarantees and aid in a deal that was hailed as historic.
The US has said it hopes to use that agreement as the basis for negotiations when talks resume. The US has said it hoped to use that agreement as the basis for negotiations when talks resume.
"It'll be a very long and a very difficult week but we look forward to it because we believe that now is the time to make real progress on the ground, not just on paper," Mr Hill told reporters."It'll be a very long and a very difficult week but we look forward to it because we believe that now is the time to make real progress on the ground, not just on paper," Mr Hill told reporters.