Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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June 19, 2007

US Envoy Hopes to Make Up for Lost Time in N. Korean Nuclear Process
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=17DF51D:A6F02AD83191E160F5231C1538E18EBE9574F7DCC14957C0 Christopher Hill
says steps toward ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs should
be speeded up to compensate for lost time





South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Chun Yung-Woo (R) along with US
chief nuclear envoy Christopher Hill (L) answers a question in Seoul,
18 June 2007Christopher Hill, Washington's chief envoy to the North
Korean nuclear negotiations, says steps toward ending Pyongyang's
nuclear weapons programs should be speeded up to compensate for lost
time. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill says he expects
North Korea to live up to a promise to start dismantling its nuclear
programs within weeks, rather than months.

The North Koreans promised at six-nation talks in February to shut
their main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon by mid-April. But millions of
dollars due to be returned to Pyongyang as part of the deal were held
up due to banking technicalities.

Now that the banking issue has been resolved, Hill is pressing the
North Koreans to begin implementing their side of the deal
immediately. He says a new round of six-party talks before the
shutdown begins is neither likely nor necessary.

"Because the shutdown of the facilities is something we've already
talked about a lot, and we don't want to have another meeting to talk
about that. We all agree on what needs to happen," said Hill.

After months of agonizing delays, North Korea announced Saturday that
resolution of the banking issues was in its final stages. It said it
had invited inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the
United Nations nuclear agency, to return the country to prepare the
shutdown.

IAEA officials say their delegates will spend next week negotiating a
set of procedures for shutting down the reactor, then seek approval
for the plan at agency headquarters in Vienna.

A second visit by nuclear inspectors would then be scheduled quickly,
for the purpose of carrying out the shutdown.

Hill was in Seoul Tuesday for talks with South Korean officials.
Before departing for Tokyo, he said that he hoped to see "a
considerably improved position" in the disarmament process "by the end
of the calendar year."


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