U.S., North Korea: “We Had Good Conversation”

“The two sides reached a substantial agreement on what to achieve for the next few months,” said Christopher Hill, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and the country’s top negotiator for nuclear talks, on September 1 after the second working-group meeting for the normalization of diplomatic relations between North Korea and the U.S. held in Geneva, Switzerland where he met and talked with his counterpart t Kim Kye Gwan, North’s Deputy Foreign Minister.

The U.S. and North Korean delegations, led by Hill and Kim, respectively, discussed removing the North from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and lifting the U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act regarding North Korea on August 1-2. In addition, the two countries had a conversation on reporting the North’s nuclear program, including disabling the North’s nuclear facilities, the second-stage of the North’s denuclearization, and on the North’s uranium enrichment program (UEP).

At the Intercontinental Hotel where both delegations stayed after the meeting on August 1, Kim also told reporters, “We had a good talk and will also have a good conversation tomorrow.”

It is expected that the six-party talks will open in Beijing, China, at the end of this month, should the working-level meeting for normalizing the relationship between North Korea and Japan, which is slated for September 5-6 in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, end well.

pisong@donga.com