U.S. envoy Christopher Hill AP PHOTO

Meanwhile, Washington and Pyongyang held separate talks on American financial restrictions against the regime.

The North has stayed away from the nuclear talks for more than 13 months. But Pyongyang agreed to return just weeks after its Oct. 9 nuclear test to discuss the issue.

At their first bilateral meeting Dec. 19, the main U.S. nuclear envoy said the North and U.S. had a "healthy exchange of information."

"We don't have any breakthroughs to report," U.S. envoy Christopher Hill said.

Hill said he hoped for progress in coming days on an earlier pledge by the North Koreans to abandon their nuclear development.

The North staked out a tough position as the six-nation talks opened Dec. 18, demanding a long list of previously stated preconditions for its disarmament such as the lifting of all U.N. sanctions.

It repeated its assertion that it be considered a nuclear weapons power and that the talks be transformed into negotiations over mutual arms reductions in which it would be accorded equal footing with the United States.

"We cannot accept anything less than the goal of denuclearization," Hill said.

The Japan Times Weekly: Dec. 23, 2006
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