6-way envoys solve scheduling, to tackle N. Korea draft protocol+

BEIJING, Dec. 8 Kyodo - Envoys from six countries for talks to end North Korea's nuclear ambitions solved a denuclearization schedule issue on their agenda on Monday, and were set to move on to the contentious topic of setting a protocol for verifying Pyongyang's nuclear information.

China, the host of the six-party meeting, was scheduled to propose a draft of
the protocol on Tuesday for further discussion, top U.S. nuclear negotiator
Christopher Hill told reporters after the first day of the multilateral talks
in Beijing.
The meeting, the first six-way negotiations since July, began in the afternoon
for what is predicted to be a three-day event.
Hill said that no contentious issues emerged over a timeline of when to
complete the disablement of North Korea's key nuclear facility and the delivery
of energy aid promised in exchange.
''I don't think there needs to be more discussion on that,'' said the assistant
secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. ''The issues were not
particularly contentious.''
Hill, however, declined to reveal the dates that were discussed, saying that
will be unveiled only at the end of the ongoing talks.
A Japanese government official also said that although an ''agreement'' would
be too strong a word, there was a ''general idea'' on the schedule after the
day's talks.
Under a key denuclearization-for-aid deal, North Korea is currently disabling
facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, which are capable of producing
weapons-grade plutonium.
In exchange for the disablement of the complex and the submitting of a list of
its nuclear programs, North Korea has been promised energy aid equivalent to a
total of 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil, the delivery of which has yet to be
completed.
Negotiators said that the discussions from Tuesday will focus on the
verification protocol.
''The Chinese are going to try to...put together a draft, and circulate
something tomorrow,'' Hill told reporters, referring to the verification
protocol.
''The Chinese have some ideas on how to approach the issue and said they've put
it on a piece of paper and we'll discuss those ideas,'' he said.
A thorny issue is the question of how to treat sampling at North Korea's
nuclear sites in the proposed document.
The United States maintains it has an oral understanding with North Korea that
the taking of samples will be part of the verification protocol. But Pyongyang
has issued comments through its official media saying that sampling was not
part of the agreement.
To try to smooth the way, Hill and his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye Gwan
met in Singapore last week. But Hill came away from the meeting saying more
talks were needed.
Japan's chief delegate Akitaka Saiki said that significant differences remain
between North Korea and other parties in the talks.
''I cannot deny that there is a major gap between North Korea and the other
five countries on how verification should proceed,'' Saiki told reporters after
Monday's talks.
''The chairman will think about how to bridge this gap, and it was decided that
we will continue discussions on this point tomorrow,'' said the head of the
Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs bureau, referring to Chinese Vice
Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.
The ongoing session in Beijing is likely to be the last round of the six-party
talks before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office.
Some observers wonder whether North Korea would be willing to deal now, rather
than wait for President-elect Barack Obama to take office in January.
The six-party talks group the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and
Russia.