January 23, 2007	Tuesday	Muharram 03, 1428

BEIJING, Jan 22: Six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programme should resume as soon as possible, the chief US envoy to the negotiations said on Monday amid reports of a possible breakthrough.

“I have had lengthy discussions with (Chinese Vice Minister) Wu Dawei and we have agreed to the need to get the six-party talks going as soon as possible,” US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told journalists in Beijing.

Later on Monday in Tokyo, while awaiting a flight to Washington, Hill said that he expected China to announce new dates for the talks “by the end of the week.” His comments came as he wrapped up a whirlwind trip to brief South Korea, Japan and China on his rare one-to-one talks with North Korea's nuclear envoy Kim Kye-Gwan in Berlin last week.According to Monday's Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's largest-circulation paper, North Korea offered during the Berlin talks to freeze operations at one nuclear reactor in exchange for aid.

The paper quoted sources as saying the North offered to suspend operations at its Yongbyon reactor and allow on-site monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency as the first steps towards abandoning its nuclear programme.

Kim made the offer in exchange for US energy and economic aid and assurances that Washington would work to unfreeze 24 million dollars of the North's assets in a Macau bank, the paper said.

Hill refused to comment on the specifics of his meeting but said repeatedly that a “basis” for progress has been laid for the next round of six-party talks.

“Based on all the consultations we've had in the last week or so I think we have a basis for getting together as soon as possible in the six-party talks and making progess,” Hill said in Beijing.

As Hill briefed his six-party counterparts on the Berlin meeting in Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing in recent days, Kim met with his counterpart in Russia, the sixth member nation of the diplomatic forum that began in 2003.

International concern has intensified since North Korea, one of the most isolated and impoverished countries in the world, tested a nuclear weapon in October last year.

The test led to UN sanctions and even condemnation from China, Pyongyang's most important ally.

Washington subsequently redoubled efforts to implement a six-party deal reached in September 2005 to verifiably dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme in exchange for diplomatic recognition and food and energy aid.

Six-nation talks in December, the first since the nuclear test, failed to result in any tangible progress as North Korea, emboldened by the detonation, demanded an end to the UN sanctions.

The reclusive state also insisted that the US financial sanctions implemented in late 2005 that led to the freezing of the Macau funds be lifted.

Hill said the US Treasury Department would soon resume separate bilateral talks with North Korea on the financial sanctions issue, which stem from US accusations of Pyongyang being involved in money laundering and counterfeiting.

“We have not determined where (the financial talks) will be held but that will not be a problem,” Hill said.

“They will probably be held before or at the same time as the six-party talks.” During his talks with China's Wu, Hill also said he briefly discussed a surprise Jan 11 Chinese missile test that destroyed a satellite, resulting in worldwide concern that China could trigger an arms race in space.

“We had some private discussion but let me allow the defence department and state department to speak on that issue,” Hill said, refusing further comment. —AFP