WASHINGTON, April 22 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. delegation met North Korea's top nuclear envoy in Pyongyang to discuss the country's declaration of its nuclear activities as the George W. Bush administration was planning to brief lawmakers in Washington on the North's suspected proliferation to Syria.
Sung Kim, director of Korean affairs at the State Department, and his interagency team met with Kim Kye-gwan, North Korea's deputy foreign minister, department spokesman Tom Casey said Tuesday.
"Their focus...is to work on the declaration," he said.
The U.S. team's visit is the latest effort to push forward the six-party talks, a forum comprised of South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan with the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
Kim Kye-gwan is North Korea's chief delegate to the six-party talks.
The negotiations have stalled since Pyongyang missed the year-end deadline in 2007 to submit a declaration showing its nuclear inventory and any proliferation to other countries.
An unexplained Israeli air strike on a Syrian site last September started suspicions and allegations that Pyongyang had transferred its nuclear technology to Damascus. Israel claims that the site housed a nuclear facility that North Korea was helping to equip. Both Pyongyang and Damascus deny any such cooperation.
According to Reuters, the Bush administration plans to brief members of Congress in a closed-door session on North Korea-Syria connection.
Citing congressional sources, the report said the briefing is scheduled for Thursday.
ldm@yna.co.kr
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Source: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2008/04/23/39/0301000000AEN20080423000300315F.HTML
