Beijing, December 19
In an apparent sign of a rapprochement, arch-rivals North Korea and US met for the first time on the second day of the six-party talks here today on the key issue of lifting of crippling sanctions on the Stalinist state but the parleys remained inconclusive.
US Treasury Department's deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes Daniel Glaser and president of North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank O Kwang Chol met on the sidelines of the six-way talks, to discuss the possibility of lifting of financial sanctions imposed on Pyongyang by Washington for alleged money laundering.
The talks remain inconclusive, diplomats said.
Meanwhile, the South Korean media reported that Christopher Hill, chief US nuclear negotiator, also met his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan today for the first time since Mr Hill's arrival in Beijing on Sunday. Kim had earlier rebuffed his request for the meeting.
The six-party talks involve North Korea, South Korea, the US, China, Japan and Russia. They have been trying since 2003 to find a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear issue, which is threatening regional stability in north-east Asia, especially since Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on October 9.
In September 2005, North Korea agreed in principle to dismantle its nuclear facilities at the fourth round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula.
However, North Korea boycotted further meetings following the financial sanctions imposed by the US for alleged money laundering and other illegal activities.
— PTI
