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US nuclear envoy seeks breakthrough in North Korea talks

The chief US negotiator on North Korea's nuclear disarmament arrived in Beijing yesterday, a US official said, as he tried to find a breakthrough in the deadlocked six-nation talks.

Christopher Hill arrived in the Chinese capital after a trip to Thailand, a US embassy spokesman said.

Hill said he would be meeting with Chinese officials during his stay, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.

MEETING THE NORTH?

"We're not sure if the North Koreans are coming, but I thought it was worth coming back," Hill said, according to the news agency's report.

On Friday, Hill said before he left Bangkok that there was a possibility of a meeting with his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan.

"We had some very good discussions with the Chinese and I think there is an idea that we might try and arrange something this weekend before I go on to Vietnam, but I don't think we are ready to make any announcement," he told reporters while in Thailand.

Hill was in Beijing toward the end of last month for talks with Kim, but they emerged from the meeting without reporting any progress.

The pair failed to reach a breakthrough on the key point that has stalled the disarmament process, a complete declaration by North Korea of all its nuclear programs.

SIX-NATION DEAL

Under a six-nation deal agreed upon last year by the two Koreas, China, the US, Russia and Japan, the North was supposed to disable its main atomic plants and list all of its nuclear programs by Dec. 31.

Pyongyang has said that it submitted a full list in November, but the US insists it is still waiting for the complete declaration, including a full account of a suspected covert uranium enrichment program.
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