2ND LD: N. Korea agreed in Berlin to resume 6-way talks as soon as possible

TOKYO, Jan. 20 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE REMARKS, INFO)

Top U.S. nuclear negotiator Christopher Hill said Saturday that he and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye Gwan agreed in Berlin earlier this week to resume six-way talks as soon as possible.

''What was for me most important about the meetings in Berlin was that we agreed on the need to get back to the six-party talks as soon as possible,'' Hill told reporters during his stopover visit to Tokyo.

The Hill-Kim talks in Berlin have been drawing attention given that the key to starting the six-party talks is how the United States and North Korea will narrow their differences.

Hill made his remarks after his meeting with Kenichiro Sasae, the chief Japanese negotiator. During their meeting, Hill briefed Sasae on what transpired in his three days of talks with Kim from Tuesday.

''We are hoping that they (the Berlin talks) will be a good foundation for the next round of six-party talks,'' Sasae, director general of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Ocean Affairs Bureau, said after being briefed by Hill on what both described as ''useful'' discussions.

Sasae also said that he and Hill agreed to work together in restarting six-party talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear standoff.

Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, added, ''I thought it was significant that the DPRK did want to proceed with six-party talks and I think there was a view between the two of us that we should try to have the six-party talks as soon as we can have them.''

DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Hill is in Tokyo after visiting Seoul on Friday and is scheduled to fly to Beijing on Sunday as part of his itinerary to meet with his six-party counterparts to lay the groundwork for the resumption of the six-way talks.

No date has been set yet for resumption of the six-party dialogue, Hill said, adding it will depend on China, the talks' host.

Hill told reporters upon arrival at Tokyo's Haneda airport from South Korea that he hopes the talks involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia can resume later this month or early next month, but did not reveal any exact date.

He also said there that key U.S.-North Korea talks on financial restrictions will be held either next week or the week after that.

The last round of six-way talks held in Beijing late last month after a 13-month hiatus ended without substantive agreement as the North insisted Washington should first lift the financial restrictions imposed on a Macao-based bank accused of money laundering and counterfeiting for Pyongyang.

During Saturday's meeting, Hill said he also reaffirmed with Sasae their commitment to achieving denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula -- the ultimate aim of the six-party talks.

''Looking beyond denuclearization, we also want to achieve good relations among the states in the region,'' he said.

Sasae also reiterated Japan's policy of resolving bilateral issues with North Korea including North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals.

''It is only natural for Japan to make efforts to resolve all kinds of issues with North Korea,'' Sasae said.

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