North Korea said no progress was made in talks on Tuesday over the dismantlement of its nuclear-weapons programmes but insisted it is still working to find a solution.
”The talks lasted for long hours but produced no progress,” the North’s top envoy to the six-party talks, Kim Kye-Gwan, told reporters outside the North Korean embassy.
”The situation is that there are some differences and confrontations over several issues. We will do our best to reach an agreement.”
But deputy chief United States envoy Joseph DeTrani told reporters as he returned to his hotel after an eighth day of negotiations that the talks will continue into a ninth day on Wednesday.
”The talks were conducted in an extremely tough, fierce and serious manner,” Japan’s chief delegate Kenichiro Sasae said. ”The basic points of contention have not been removed.”
He also said discussions will continue for a ninth day on Wednesday.
The talks have become bogged down in differences about what should be in a Chinese draft document aimed at establishing a framework to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons. — Sapa-AFP