US nuclear envoy says NKorea to submit draft nuclear declaration soon

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
North Korea is finalizing a declaration of its nuclear programs to meet a commitment to reveal everything about its decades-old pursuit of atomic bombs, the main US negotiator at international arms talks said Thursday. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said he would be talking about the declaration with North Korean officials during a visit there starting Monday. All six countries in the nuclear talks will discuss the declaration at their next full session in Beijing, likely to be held at the end of next week, he said. The North Koreans "have begun to put together their list, I think it's pretty close to being ready," Hill said after arriving in Seoul ahead of his trip to Pyongyang. The North has already begun disabling its main nuclear facilities under an agreement with the other countries at the international arms talks, which include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the US.