US, North Korea to start talks in Geneva

The United States and North Korea will start talks on North Korea's nuclear program in Geneva on Monday.

US special envoy Stephen Bosworth arrived in Geneva on Sunday with his successor, US Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Glyn Davies. North Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister, Kim Kye Gwan, was already in the Swiss city.

The two-day meeting will be the first since talks in New York in July.

In the previous talks, the United States urged the North to make concrete steps toward denuclearization. It called for an immediate halt to the North's uranium enrichment program, followed by inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

North Korea demanded to continue direct talks with the United States. It also said the six-party talks on its nuclear program should be resumed without any conditions. The negotiations have been stalled for nearly 3 years.

Monday, October 24, 2011 06:00 +0900 (JST)