N. Korea Talks Extended Amid Lack of Consensus

The United States and other countries failed to agree Saturday on a Chinese proposal that would let North Korea pursue peaceful nuclear energy activities if it gave up its atomic weapons program. Talks were extended by a day.

Several delegations in the six-nation negotiations on ending North Korea’s nuclear arms program indicated that they were dissatisfied with the compromise offered by China, the U.S. envoy said after a long day of discussions that dragged late into the night.

“Several delegations, including ours, had difficulties with it,” Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said, adding that the negotiations would continue today.

“We’re trying to reach something with it,” he told reporters. “I would like to keep going until we get something.”

The Chinese proposal would affirm North Korea’s right to peaceful nuclear activities after it ended its weapons program.

The United States insists that North Korea cannot be trusted with any type of nuclear program, given its history of working toward atomic bombs.

The North Korean negotiating team was awaiting further instructions from Pyongyang, the capital, before it could give a formal response to the Chinese proposal, the official New China News Agency reported.

North Korean diplomats in Beijing have publicly dismissed the Chinese ideas, saying they are too similar to U.S. demands.

Chinese diplomats called another negotiating session for this morning to see whether the U.S. and North Korean positions had moved any closer after overnight consultations.

If not, Hill and other diplomats suggested, the talks would turn to how to end this round of the six-party negotiation process while minimizing the impression of failure.

The talks consist of China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas.