The US has made some progress but is still short of an agreement with North Korea on reviving Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament, according to Assistant US Secretary of State Christopher Hill.

“We’re going to report to capitals and see where we are tomorrow and the next day,” Hill said after meeting with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan at Geneva on Friday.

The talks in Geneva were probably the most substantive that Washington has had with North Korea since problems developed in December last year over disarming Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

“I don’t want to suggest that we’ve paved the way and are waiting for the cement to dry,” Hill said.

No secrets
From North Korea’s side, Kim denied allegations that his country had a secret uranium enrichment programme or that it had any connection with a nuclear program in Syria. “We did not have, we don’t have and we will not have,” Kim said.

Moreover, Hill said North Korea had maintained its position on uranium enrichment and on proliferation. “I’m not really in a position to tell whether we’ve resolved everything except to say that I think we’ve made some progress today,” Hill explained. 

He said there were no immediate plans for further meetings in Geneva.