North Korean Nuke Situation

◆ 6-way nuke negotiators arrive in Beijing, hold bilateral talks
BEIJING, July 17 KYODO
N. Korea nuke negotiators begin arriving in Beijing
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan waves as he arrives at Beijing's internati...
Chief delegates to the six-party talks on denuclearizing North Korea began arriving in Beijing on Tuesday, with some holding bilateral discussions ahead of the multilateral negotiations which will begin Wednesday.
U.S. top nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye Gwan began talks over lunch around 1:30 p.m. at a Beijing restaurant.
There will be ''a lot of bilaterals,'' Hill said upon his arrival at Beijing's international airport.
''We've got a lot of work to do, a lot of catching up to do,'' said the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Before leaving North Korea, Kim told reporters that the upcoming discussions should focus on the second stage of denuclearization measures, saying the first phase of a six-party deal reached in February has now been completed.
The first phase ''has been accomplished,'' Kim said. ''So the talks will focus on the sequence of the obligation and actions to be taken by the concerned parties at the second phase under the Feb. 13 agreement.''
Upon his arrival in Beijing, Kim told reporters, ''Please follow (developments) carefully.''
The talks in Beijing involving North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia follow North Korea's halting of operations at its key nuclear facilities in Yongbyon over the weekend.
The shutdown of the facilities marked the first concrete step toward Pyongyang's denuclearization under the six-party deal.
Under the agreement, North Korea was committed to shutting down and sealing the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and inviting International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors back into the country in exchange for the start of the shipment of 50,000 tons of fuel oil.
The next stage of denuclearization requires North Korea's complete declaration of all its nuclear programs and disablement of all its existing nuclear facilities, according to the agreement.
In the upcoming talks, the six delegates are also expected to try to set schedules for further talks, including dates for meetings of working groups that deal with specific topics.
They also plan to try to set a date for a meeting of their ministers, which under the Feb. 13 agreement is scheduled to be held after the initial phase of the denuclearization is completed.
''We'll have a ministerial, but we've got to work on the timing and then work on exactly what we're going to do,'' Hill said.

Source: Kyodo News