C.Hill Comments to NHK-TV at Narita Airport

Comments to NHK-TV at Narita Airport

Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Narita Airport
Tokyo, Japan
January 22, 2007

QUESTION: South Korean newspapers said that North Korea has agreed that they will stop the nuclear activity.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I’m not talking about the discussion we had. Any negotiation is going to be in the six parties, so we'll see what we come out with in the Six-Party negotiations. So I would not pay too much attention to what some newspaper says about some, you know, unnamed source, okay?

QUESTION: That magazine is not wrong, do you think?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Look, if I start commenting on one newspaper report, I'll have to comment on everybody's newspaper reports. I'm not going to do that. Just be patient, wait for the six parties, and then we'll know exactly, okay?

QUESTION: What's the most important issue or point at the next session, next talks?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: To reach an agreement, and to reach an agreement on implementing part of the September statement. So we need to start implementing. Right now, we just have a September statement. We have no implementation. So we hope we can get – begin to get – some implementation. What that implementation is, I don't know yet, because we haven't had the negotiation. So as soon as we have the negotiation, we'll announce something, and then you'll really have some facts.

Okay? All right, see you later.

Released on January 22, 2007

ENDS

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