Chief US nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill arrived in
Pyongyang on Thursday in the latest US effort to convince North
Korea to halt its nuclear weapons program.
Hill, who was invited to visit North Korea, is the first
high-ranking US negotiator to visit in nearly five years.
Upon his arrival at the airport, Hill told Xinhua that he hoped
to "get the six-party talks process moving."
Hill, a US assistant secretary of state, will focus on making
progress on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"We hope we can make up for some time we lost this spring," said
Hill, adding "I'm looking forward to the discussion about
that."
Hill was greeted at the airport by Li Geun, director of North
Korea Foreign Ministry's America Bureau.
Hill said he was here at the invitation of North Korea side but
did not go into details about his schedule.
"I don't know yet (whom I am going to meet), my host, I think,
will have the schedule," Hill said.
Hill's trip came after the resolution of a banking dispute that
had held up progress of the six-party talks, which involve the
United States, North Korea, China, Japan, South Korea and
Russia.
North Korea's ambassador to Russia Kim Yong Che said earlier
this week that the funds of US$25 million had arrived at the
Central Bank of Russia and will be transferred to North Korean
foreign trade bank via a Russian bank.
Hill is scheduled to conclude his trip on Friday.
(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2007)
