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China makes last-ditch effort to keep Korean talks alive

Delegates to North Korean disarmament talks said yesterday they were approaching the final stages of discussions, but that a resolution to the dispute over the communist nation's nuclear weapons program lay ultimately in its own hands.

Envoys from the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia were reviewing the latest draft of principles crafted by host China meant to move the stalled negotiations forward. However, the heads of delegations did not have a group meeting, the US Embassy said, making it unlikely that a conclusion to negotiations was imminent.

Negotiators agreed to meet again today, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It did not give any details.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top US envoy, said earlier Wednesday that agreeing to the text is something North Korea is "going to decide on their own. They're not going to listen to pressure from me."

"In a very real sense, [North Korea] really does stand at a crossroads and they can look forward to a brighter future, a more secure future, a more prosperous future," Hill said. "But they really can't do it with nuclear weapons. They've really got to get off that."

Hill said Tuesday evening that the talks could break off without an agreement, giving time for the sides to return to their capitals for more consultation before the six nations convene again.

It wasn't clear when the talks -- now lasting three times longer than three previous rounds -- would end. Hill said Tuesday it may be a matter of days.

He held one-on-one talks Wednesday with several delegations, but not the North Koreans, the US Embassy said.
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