US envoy in North Korea to offer nuclear compromise
Wednesday, 01 Oct 2008 10:10
US negotiator on North Korea's nuclear programme arrives for crucial talks
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The chief US negotiator on
North Korea's nuclear programme has arrived in the country for crucial talks aimed at salvaging a nuclear disarmament deal.
Reports suggest Christopher Hill will offer a compromise after the initial deal fell through with Pyongyang restarting its plutonium programme.
Mr Hill said that the aim of his trip was to persuade the north to accept a system to verify future statements made about its nuclear programme and to answer allegations that the country was enriching uranium for weapons.
"We are in a very difficult, very tough phase of negotiations," he told reporters on Tuesday night.
"What they have been doing, obviously, goes against the spirit of what we have been trying to achieve."
Today's visit comes as speculation increases over the health of North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il.
Pyongyang has been in negotiations with the US, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea for many years over its nuclear plans.
A deal was agreed in February 2007 to begin dismantling nuclear facilities but after disagreements over the removal of North Korea for the US list of states sponsoring terrorism, Pyongyang backed out of the deal and began restarting the nuclear plants.