South Korea, Japan, US meet to discuss nuclear talks

SEOUL: Negotiators from South Korea, Japan and the United States met on Thursday to hammer out a coordinated strategy for coaxing North Korea into ending its nuclear arms programmes at six-country talks this month. The meeting comes a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended a trip to Asia expressing optimism that North Korea, enticed by a new offer of massive energy aid, might agree to scrap its nuclear weapons plans. South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon hosted Assistant US Secretary of State Christopher Hill and Japanese Foreign Ministry Director General Kenichiro Sasae at Thursday’s talks in Seoul. The three will head their respective delegations at the long-stalled six-way negotiations, which also include Russia and China. Pyongyang agreed at the weekend to return to the talks, which the communist state had boycotted since June 2004. The talks are scheduled for the week of July 25. South Korea has promised energy aid if the North dismantles its nuclear programmes and hopes the supply of 2,000 megawatts of electricity - doubling the North’s current power output - will address a pressing concern of the impoverished state. reuters

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