Chris Hill Morning Press At 6-Party Talks, Beijing

Christopher R. Hill
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
St. Regis Hotel
Beijing, China
September 30, 2007

Morning Walk-Through With Reporters at Six-Party Talks

ASSISTANT SECRRETARY HILL: Hi. It's late but we have a head of delegation meeting at 10:00, and I think we're going to discuss presumably what will be a draft. I don't know if we'll have a joint statement. I don't know if we will have a statement by the chair. But I do know that we have a way forward here. So maybe after the meeting I can tell you where we stand and what the next step is.

QUESTION: How confident are you that you will be able to narrow the remaining differences with North Korean in today's talks?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I am pretty confident that we know what the next steps will be, and we have an understanding that will take us through to the end of the year with respect to disablement and declaration. So this is not the situation that presented itself in February, where absent a joint statement we couldn't move forward. I think we know which way we're going. But if you'll excuse me, I really don't want to be late.

QUESTION: The Japanese media reported that the Six Parties will send a special team to Yongbyon to disable --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I think that at some point that will happen, but I'm not ready to announce it. We have to see if that is something we would be doing to develop with this session or sometime later, but obviously as we continue the disablement we would expect to have more teams.

QUESTION: Will you come back to the hotel before going to the airport?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I assume so, but it depends on how long the session is. But I assume I will. I think the Embassy will be in touch with you about getting together.

OK?

ENDS

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