WASHINGTON (AFP) -
The United States and
North Korea have failed to break an impasse over measures to verify
Pyongyang's
nuclear weapons program in special talks held in New York, US officials said Monday.
The talks between the State Department's top Korea expert, Sung Kim, and his North Korean counterpart on Friday were a follow-up to a meeting held about three weeks ago in Beijing over verification of the North's nuclear program that was declared in June.
"Sung Kim last week had very detailed and substantive discussions with his North Korean counterpart and on the subject of verification," department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.
Asked whether there was an agreement, he said Washington would continue to hold talks with the hardline communist state in a bid to break the deadlock.
"What I would say to you is that I would not make too much out of this meeting that took place," he said. "There will be other discussions with North Korean officials." No dates were given for the upcoming talks.
Wood had said last week that Sung Kim was "going to assess where things are with North Korea" and that Washington "wants to see this verification package as soon as possible so that we can move forward with this delisting," he added.
Washington has said it would remove North Korea from the State Sponsors of Terrorist List if Pyongyang agreed to a comprehensive verification protocol proposed at the last six-nation talks aimed at disbanding the state's atomic weapons arsenal.
But Pyongyang wanted the United States to remove it from the blacklist first as part of what it called an "action-for-action" plan.
North Korea has been negotiating since 2003 with South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan on disbanding its atomic program in return for energy aid and diplomatic and security guarantees.
It has already shut down its main nuclear reactor and is disabling it as part of the six-nation agreement.
An agreement on verifying its nuclear program plan will pave the way for dismantling North Korea's nuclear network as well as the surrender of atomic material and weapons.
But the process is stuck over disagreement on verification, a draft protocol of which has been submitted to North Korea.
The United States reportedly wants full access by inspectors to all nuclear sites and verification to cover not just North Korea's plutonium program -- which fueled an atomic test in October 2006 -- but also an alleged secret uranium enrichment program and proliferation activities.
